Height-based outdoor activities for schools to resume from Feb 2023

The resumption of height-based outdoor adventure learning activities includes a set of three enhanced safety measures. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - Height-based outdoor adventure learning (OAL) activities for schools will resume from Feb 1, 2023, with enhanced safety measures set in place by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

The resumption of these activities includes a set of three enhanced safety measures.

First, operators offering height-based activities for MOE students must have their facilities accredited regularly by a national sports association or a regional OAL professional body. Schools must engage only accredited operators and qualified instructors.

Second, there will be a progressive resumption of activities. Challenge course activities, such as zipline, and obstacle courses that require belaying will resume at a reduced tempo of 50 per cent or less of their normal operational capacity from Feb 1 to March 31. This is to ensure operators are given time to adjust after a two-year break.

Third, the ministry has appointed and trained staff as OAL activity leaders since early 2022 to oversee the safe and quality delivery of such activities for its students.

For Mrs Kassandra Chew, 40, it means that her 10-year-old daughter can have another opportunity to participate in such activities – along with her classmates this time. Earlier this year, her daughter and around 15 of her family members took part in a zipline and obstacle course in Australia, which the girl enjoyed.

Mrs Chew had her reservations about letting her daughter take a private course in Singapore until the latest announcement was made today, which reassured her.

However, Mr Francis Kuoh, who has daughters aged 13 and 14, is still hesitant.

The 54-year-old father said: “I am not sure if I am comfortable allowing my children to go on such courses, especially after a long hiatus. When the activities resume, I hope parents are given the option to decline to send their children, as some parents like me may still have a lingering fear.”

The Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) Council, which was formed in September 2022, has reviewed MOE’s enhanced safety measures and supported the resumption of height-based OAL activities for schools.

The council is currently developing national standards to govern the operations and safety of height-based activities across the outdoor education sector, which will be adopted by MOE once they are available.

The ministry has also been conducting refresher sessions and re-certification courses to help instructors keep their certifications current. It will also conduct skills verification sessions in January 2023 to ensure instructors are confident that they can restart challenge course activities safely.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, MOE said that site operations accreditation for challenge courses is renewed every three years for the Association for Challenge Course Technology and renewed yearly for climbing and abseiling courses. This site operations accreditation is new.

For instructors, there are two levels of certification. Level-one instructors are re-certified yearly, while level-two instructors renew their certifications once every three years. Both levels of certification have been ongoing.

In a statement from the OAE Council, to manage the resumption of height-based activities, besides schools, the council has assembled a task force to develop a set of guidelines to help all OAE providers, including MOE and private operators, develop or review their site-specific emergency response plans and risk mitigation measures for managing serious incidents.

It also said that the task force will support the recruitment, skills refresher training and certification of challenge course practitioners.

Height-based activities have been suspended since February 2021 following an incident that resulted in the death of 15-year-old Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student Jethro Puah.

Jethro had lost his footing during a high-element activity and lost consciousness while he was suspended by the safety harness in mid-air. He was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where he died the next morning.

Following the incident, MOE suspended outdoor activities involving heights for all schools.

Then Education Minister Lawrence Wong had told Parliament in February 2021 that all height-based outdoor educational activities would remain suspended until a review by the MOE was completed.

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