TEACHERS at Nan Hua Primary are ready for work on Monday - not just to start the new school term but to make sure that the 25 students or so who will not be joining their schoolmates yet won't be left behind.
That's the number the school reckons would have returned from flu-stricken areas on and after June 22, according to travel declaration forms the students handed in before the June holidays started.
They will be given seven days leave of absence, in a bid announced by the Education ministry to slow down the transmission of the H1N1 virus.
The students will not be taking it easy at home. They will need to log on to the school's e-learning portal and blog daily to complete multiple-choice assignments and read chinese poems, idioms and passages.
At least 17 primary and secondary schools, and junior colleges The Straits Times had spoken to said they have been gearing up for home-based learning since since the Sars crisis in 2003.
What combination of approaches and channels to take, according to MOE, depends on the age and profile of their students.
For students who do not own computers or have internet access, schools will either deliver materials through snail mail, or loan out laptops to ensure they do not lose out.
For e-learning, teachers can upload reading materials or assignments for students to either revise or learn a new topic onto a e-portal. Hyperlinks to learning websites can also be shared.
Students then access the portal based on schedules which stagger log-in times so the system will not crash. They submit their assignments online and their log-ins are tracked.
Grading for certain assignments such as multiple-choice questions is automatic while teachers will mark open-ended responses like essays. Students can clarify doubts with teachers through emails or instant messaging services.
Read the full report in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.
