https://www.moe.gov.

sg/primary/compulsory-education
Compulsory education
All Singapore Citizens born after 1 January 1996 and living in Singapore must attend a national primary school unless
an exemption is granted. Learn more about compulsory education, exemptions and deferment to enter Primary 1.

What is compulsory education (CE)?

CE is defined as education in national primary schools for Singapore Citizens residing in Singapore under
the Compulsory Education Act 2000 (CE Act 2000).

Your child must attend a national primary school regularly if they are:

 Of compulsory school age (above 6 years old and under 15 years old).
 A Singapore Citizen.
 Born after 1 January 1996.
 Living in Singapore.

Objectives of compulsory education

CE aims to help every child attain:

 Common knowledge that will provide a firm foundation for further education.
 Common school experiences that will help build national identity and encourage social cohesion.

Compulsory education for children with special educational needs

CE also applies to children with moderate to severe special educational needs born after 1 January 2012.

Parents will be able to fulfil their CE obligations by enrolling their child in a government-funded special education
(SPED) school and ensuring that they complete their primary education there.

If your child is unable to attend any national primary school due to their medical condition or disability, you
must apply for an exemption with supporting documents.

Penalties for non-compliance

Parents may be guilty of an offence if their child fails to attend a national primary school regularly unless the child
is exempted from CE, or they are able to present a prescribed reason for their child's absence to the satisfaction of
the Director-General of Education within a reasonable time.

If convicted, a parent shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $5,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12
months, or to both.

https://www.moe.gov.sg/primary/compulsory-education/overview
Exemption from compulsory education

Children who are required to undergo compulsory education must attend a national primary school regularly unless they
have been granted an exemption. Find out about the different types of exemptions.

Overview
Children can be exempted from compulsory education (CE) if they are:

 Granted approval to be home-schooled.

 Attending a designated school, NorthLight School or Assumption Pathway School.
 Unsuitable to attend any national primary school due to any physical, intellectual or
developmental disabilities.

Exemptions

For children born on or before 1 January 2012

1. Designated school
Your child will need to apply for an exemption from CE if you wish for them to attend a designated
school.

The designated schools currently providing full-time primary education are:

 San Yu Adventist School

 Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah
 Madrasah Al-Ma'arif Al-Islamiah
 Madrasah Alsagoff Al-Arabiah
 Madrasah Wak Tanjong Al-Islamiah

How to apply
Submit your application to the Compulsory Education Unit through the designated school.

2. Homeschool

To home-school your child, you will have to meet certain conditions such as:

 Satisfy our objectives for compulsory education.

 Provide an academic learning plan for the 4 subjects (English Language, Mother Tongue
Language, Mathematics and Science).
 Provide a teaching plan for Character and Citizenship Education.
 Possess the necessary qualifications.
Children who are home-schooled must:

 Sit for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 4 subjects (English Language,
Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics and Science) at standard level.
 Meet the PSLE benchmark pegged at the 33rd percentile of all students in national
primary schools taking 4 standard level subjects in that same year.
 Sit for a National Education quiz before the PSLE.

Contact the Compulsory Education Unit for more information.

3. Special Education Needs

Children born on or before 1 January 2012 are exempted if they are unable to attend any national primary
school due to their physical, intellectual or developmental disabilities. You will need to apply for
exemption for your child.

How to apply
Submit your request with all supporting medical documents to the Compulsory Education Unit.

For children born after 1 January 2012

1. Designated school
Your child will need to apply for an exemption from CE if you wish for them to attend a designated
school.

The designated schools currently providing full-time primary education are:

 San Yu Adventist School

 Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah
 Madrasah Al-Ma'arif Al-Islamiah
 Madrasah Alsagoff Al-Arabiah
 Madrasah Wak Tanjong Al-Islamiah

How to apply
Submit your application to the Compulsory Education Unit through the designated school.

2. Home-school
Children without or with mild special educational needs
To home-school your child, you will have to meet certain conditions such as:

 Satisfy our objectives for compulsory education.

 Provide an academic learning plan for the 4 subjects (English Language, Mother Tongue
Language, Mathematics and Science).
 Provide a teaching plan for Character and Citizenship Education.
 Possess the necessary qualifications.

Children who are home-schooled must:

 Sit for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 4 subjects (English Language, Mother
Tongue Language, Mathematics and Science) at standard level.
 Meet the PSLE benchmark pegged at the 33rd percentile of all students in national primary
schools taking 4 standard level subjects in that same year.
 Sit for a National Education quiz before the PSLE.

Children with moderate to severe special educational needs

If you wish to home-school your child, you must:

 Provide an Individualised Education Plan that includes the curriculum that you will be using with
your child and the desired learning outcomes.
 Demonstrate that you have the suitable qualifications, which would include skills and
competencies, to deliver the educational aspect of the IEP for your child.

Contact the Compulsory Education Unit for more information.

3. Unsuitable to attend national primary schools

Children who are deemed to be unsuitable to attend any national primary school due to severe complex
conditions, including medical conditions, or whose learning needs have been professionally assessed to be
unable to be met in a national primary school could seek exemption from CE.

How to apply
Submit your request with all supporting documents to the Compulsory Education Unit.

https://www.moe.gov.sg/primary/compulsory-education/exemptions