SINGAPORE - By the end of this year, students in all schools - from primary schools to junior colleges - will be involved in the daily cleaning of their school environment.

The move is introduced to inculcate in students good habits such as a sense of responsibility and care, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Thursday (Feb 25).

Cleaning can be carried out at various periods of the school day, such as before the first lesson, during recess, in between classes, or just before dismissal.

Areas that the students will clean include the classrooms and common spaces such as canteens and corridors.

Prior to the move, many schools, such as Xingnan Primary, Park View Primary and New Town Secondary, have already put in place between five and 10 minutes of cleaning activities within their school hours daily.

At Xingnan Primary in Jurong West, for instance, pupils are involved in cleaning after their recess and at the end of the school day. Primary 1 pupils also have an activity to document how they assist their family members with household chores.

At Park View Primary, pupils clean up their classrooms five minutes before the school day ends.

Acting Minister for Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng, who visited Xingnan Primary School on Thursday afternoon, observed a lesson on inculcating good habits of cleaning up, and joined the students in cleaning up at the end of the school day.

Mr Ng hopes the activities would cultivate in students good life habits, which can be practised at home as well.

Parents welcomed the initiative, and are pleased that the schools are encouraging such life habits from young.

"We need to teach our children such habits and get them involved in cleaning up after themselves," said administrative executive Julie Tan, 43, who has a eight-year-old daughter.

"It is good to learn these good values from young."