Schools Starting Lessons at 8.00 am or Later

96 Mr Darryl David asked the Minister for Education (a) how many MOE schools currently start at 8.00 am or later; and (b) whether there has been a rise in the number of schools starting at 8.00 am or later over the last five years.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: One out of 10 secondary schools and most junior colleges start at 8.00 am or later on at least three days per week. Primary schools, generally, do not start at 8.00 am or later.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) does not have precise data on the number of schools starting at 8.00 am or later over the past five years. Schools have the autonomy to decide on their start time, so long as it is not earlier than 7.30 am. This is because each school's context differs, and standardising school start time might not benefit students across schools.