Schools

New School features opinion pieces by young writers, highlighting youth issues and perspectives. I wish to experience the “campus” in campus journalism before I graduate. Back in December 2019, before we had heard of COVID-19, my friends encouraged me to join the Varsitarian , the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, where I was a sophomore. They said covering different events would be fun and exciting. I knew I had what it took to become a news writer, so I made a promise to myself to conquer my demons and apply next publication year. Then came 2020. On January 30, 2020, the Department of Health (DOH) recorded the Philippines’ first coronavirus case, and in February, the first coronavirus-related death outside of China was recorded in the country. On March 9, the Manila City government announced that classes in all levels would be suspended from March 10 to 14. Little did I know that March 9 would already be ... » Learn More about [New School] My ‘campus’ journalism experience

Siblings can certainly annoy the life out of us. Anybody with one will attest to this but somehow, there's no denying the preciousness of a relationship among brothers and sisters. This is evident in a recent video that has gone viral on Facebook, where a teen is seen picking up his younger sister from school. That, in itself, is commendable and endearing but what got many heads turning was his choice of clothing. The video, posted on July 23, began with him awkwardly shuffling towards the gate of White Sands Primary School, in a T-Rex costume. Hats off to him for enduring the immense heat he must've felt walking under the blazing sun. As far as we know, dinosaurs don't roam around Pasir Ris so it wasn't surprising that strangers took a double take when this orange and black reptile caught their gaze. As he waited patiently for his sister, other school children walked up to him eagerly, wanting a closer look at a real-life T-Rex. Most of the kids shook his hands or ... » Learn More about Walking with dinosaurs: Teen dresses up as T-Rex to pick up sister from school in Pasir Ris

SINGAPORE - Security needs at schools will be balanced without losing the sense of safety, trust and homeliness of the school environment, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing on Tuesday (July 27). He noted that in enhancing security at schools, the Ministry of Education (MOE) does not want to compromise the quality of school experience for students and staff. The key to staying safe lies not in more intrusive security measures, but in prevention and enhanced community vigilance, Mr Chan said in a ministerial statement in Parliament addressing concerns following the River Valley High School incident. "We do not want to turn our schools into fortresses, which will create unease and stress among our staff and students. "We also do not wish to paradoxically engender a siege mentality among students and staff, causing them to take extreme measures to protect themselves, at the expense of a shared sense of security," added the minister. Last Monday, a 16-year-old student ... » Learn More about We do not want to turn our schools into fortresses’: Chan Chun Sing on enhancing security at schools

TOKYO: Swimmer Joseph Schooling failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the 100m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday (Jul 27). He clocked a time of 49.84 and was sixth in his heat. His time placed him 39th overall out of 70. Italy's Thomas Ceccon clocked a time of 47.71 to top the field, with the American Caeleb Dressel finishing 0.02 behind him. The 16th position, which is the final qualification spot, went to Great Britain’s Jacob Whittle (48.44). Schooling’s national record stands at 48.27, which he achieved at the 2016 Rio Olympics. His record-breaking swim in Brazil sent him to the semi-finals that year. He eventually finished 16th. At the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines, Schooling timed 49.64, finishing behind compatriot Darren Chua (49.59). "EMPHASIS IS THE FLY" Speaking to reporters after the race, Schooling said it was good to get one race in Tokyo under his belt. “The time’s definitely a tough one but it was a good race to get the hurt out of,” ... » Learn More about Swimming: Joseph Schooling fails to qualify for 100m freestyle semi-finals at Olympics

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Education (MOE) will continue to update security measures in schools in a “targeted” manner, without losing the sense of “homeliness” of the school environment, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said in Parliament on Tuesday (Jul 27). As efforts are made to enhance security at schools, the quality of the school experience for students and staff should not be compromised, he said in a ministerial statement. “MOE will continue to update our security measures in a targeted manner and apply them sensitively to balance the security needs without losing our sense of safety, trust and homeliness of the school environment,” said Mr Chan. The minister did not elaborate on potential measures that may be implemented. WATCH: Chan Chun Sing addresses concerns about River Valley High School death in ministerial statement READ: 540 River Valley High students, staff members sought psychological support after incident: Chan Chun Sing Mr Chan’s statement ... » Learn More about Security measures in schools to continue to be updated in ‘targeted’ manner without affecting ‘homeliness’: Chan Chun Sing

SINGAPORE: New measures will be rolled out in the “near term” to better care for the well-being of students in schools, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing in Parliament on Tuesday (Jul 27). These measures include giving all teachers “enhanced professional development” on mental health literacy as a baseline and deploying more teacher-counsellors in the next few years, said Mr Chan in a ministerial statement about the support given to schools and students in need. It comes after the death of a Secondary 1 student at River Valley High School. A Secondary 4 student was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the incident. In his statement, Mr Chan said youths are learning to cope with the pressures of a “competitive, high-performing environment”. “For our youths growing up in today’s complex and fast paced world, their challenges are intensified by what happens online, where comparisons are incessant and unrelenting – adding yet another layer of social ... » Learn More about MOE to strengthen support networks in schools; all teachers to get enhanced training on mental health literacy

New School features opinion pieces by young writers, highlighting youth issues and perspectives. “When is it okay not to be okay and when is it not okay to be not okay?” Ito ang katanungan ng kilalang host sa telebisyon na si Boy Abunda nitong nagdaang patimpalak ng Binibining Pilipinas 2021, na gumawa ng ingay at naging usap-usapan ng mga Filipino, lalo na at higit sa social media. Kung iisipin, sumikat ngayong panahon ng pandemya ang katagang, “It is okay not to be okay,” upang maging daan sa pagtanggap sa mga naging paghihirap ng mamamayan at bigyang pansin ang kahalagahan ng pagpapahinga sa patuloy na paglaban sa buhay. Sa dami ng kinakaharap na problema ng mga Filipino na nagbunga mula sa kalbaryo ng pandemya, ang sektor ng kalusugan ay marahil ang isa kung hindi ang pinaka-naapektuhan nito. Hindi maitatanggi na ang pagpapakasakit ng mga mamamayan sa sektor na ito, lalo na ng mga kapos-palad, ay mas pinahirap pa ng hindi patas na tunggalian ... » Learn More about [New School] Tugon ng mga naapi at nangulila

TOKYO: Who can forget that Saturday morning in Singapore five years ago when Joseph Schooling stunned the world at the Rio Olympics? On the step below were Michael Phelps, Chad Le Clos and Laszlo Cseh, swimming luminaries relegated to a three-way tie for silver. It feels like an eternity ago. The world has changed since that momentous triumph: We remain in the throes of a deadly pandemic; the Olympics were postponed for the first time; and a 10-year world record in Schooling’s pet event was finally broken. Dressel has one Olympic gold under his belt from Rio, in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay. At this edition in Tokyo, he is eyeing at least five more. One of which is the 100m butterfly. The Olympic record of 50.39s belongs to Schooling, but the world record - 49.50s - is Dressel's. And the numbers speak for themselves: Dressel has gone under the 50-second mark five times since the 2016 Olympics, while Schooling has yet to breach that barrier. The American also ... » Learn More about Singapore’s champion and the fight to defend his Olympic crown: Joseph Schooling’s Tokyo challenge

SINGAPORE - All students and staff of Punggol Primary School will undergo mandatory swab tests on Thursday (July 29) and Friday. This comes after a new cluster linked to a cleaner at Punggol Primary School was identified on Tuesday and grew to seven cases on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, the school will switch to home-based learning from Thursday to Aug 6. In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Wednesday night that one teacher and two students have also tested positive. The teacher is not a close contact of the students. Investigations are underway to see if the cases are linked. Another two contract cleaners and one non-teaching staff from the school have tested positive for Covid-19. All of them had not been in close contact with students and teachers. [[nid:538303]] MOE said: "All close contacts of confirmed cases have been placed under quarantine order or leave of absence." Punggol Primary ... » Learn More about Mandatory swab tests for all Punggol Primary School students and staff as Covid-19 cluster grows to 7

TOKYO: Olympic champion Joseph Schooling vowed that he will not end his swimming career on a bitter note after failing to qualify for the semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday (Jul 29). Schooling finished last in his 100m butterfly heat at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre, clocking a time of 53.12s. The top 16 qualify for the semi-finals of the event. Schooling's time placed him 44th overall out of 55. Schooling’s national record stands at 50.39s, which he achieved in the 2016 Rio Olympics. It earned him an Olympic record and a gold medal. Speaking to reporters after the race, Schooling said that his timing did not reflect the effort that he and his team had put in. "I was excited going out ... more excited than the (100m freestyle). It was just go - there wasn't really (anything) negative. The time just didn't reflect everything that we've done this year. And sometimes that's how it is," he said. "It's hard to swallow, it's hard to digest, but at the same time ... » Learn More about ‘It’s hard to swallow’: Joseph Schooling disappointed by butterfly performance at Olympics, vows to fight harder