Polytechnic calendar not being aligned with primary, secondary schools, says Minister

The polytechnic calendar is currently not being aligned with that of primary and secondary schools, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing told Parliament on Wednesday, "There is no plans to align the polytechnic calendar with that of primary and secondary schools." There are overlaps between the term breaks of our schools and polytechnics. Ms Chan was responding to a question by Member of Parliament Wan Rizal PAP-Jalan Besar who asked whether the ministry had plans to review the semester breaks for polytechnics and align them with primary and secondary schools.

Polytechnics usually start their academic year in April and end their academic year in March the next year, unlike the academic calendars of primary and secondary schools that generally follow a calendar year.

Polytechnics have long semester vacations in the months of September and October, as well as March and April, unlike the June and December school holidays for primary and secondary schools. Polytechnics have short-term breaks in June and December.

Dr Wan Rizal, an academic staff member at Republic Polytechnic, noted that students in continuing education and training CET programmes spend the month of December going for lessons.

Some of the CET programmes in polytechnics involve adult learners studying part-time for a higher diploma or professional certificate.

For us to encourage them to do a part-time diploma and have a work-life balance, this means sacrificing their December holidays and in the spirit of celebrating families and supporting them, I think this is something we are missing, Dr Wan Rizal said.

They are usually affected by the fact that the staff have to do the markings in December. We do not get the December holidays if they are teaching CET students like I do. Polytechnic full-time diploma students also take mid-semester tests in the first few weeks of December, although they have a two-week break until the new year.