By Amelia Tan

OF ALL the moves to change primary school education announced yesterday, the one that excited parents the most was the shift to single-session schools.

The reason: It will put an end to one main complaint they have - the 7.30am start time for school, which they say is much too early.

The downside, however, is that it may cost them more. School bus fares may rise, because more buses will have to be bought and drivers hired.

Principals of four double-session schools contacted by The Straits Times said going to a single session will probably mean they would start school at 8am and end classes at 1.30pm.

Though the start time is just 30 minutes later, parents who now have to race against the clock each morning say it makes a world of difference.

Many have children who are already in primary school and do not know if the changes will come in time for them, but they are keeping their fingers crossed.

Parents interviewed said the extra half-hour would give them more time to bond with their children over breakfast, and allow the children to snatch a little more sleep-time. Those with several children said having them all in a single session means they can free up time to take up a part-time job, for instance.

Mr Darajit Daud, 49, has four boys, the youngest of whom is in Primary 4 and has to be in school by 7.30am.

He described each morning as a 'mad rush' as he and his wife coax their children out of bed before packing them off to school.

Said the quality manager: 'It is especially heart-wrenching to pull my youngest out of bed so early in the morning. I would like him to get more shut-eye so he can have more energy for his classes. We also don't have the time to eat breakfast together as a family.'

Part-time sales manager Cristin Tan has another headache. Two of her children - Kenric, eight, and Valery, 10 - go to school at different times of the day. Kenric attends the afternoon session at Anderson Primary School while Valery goes to school in the morning.

Next year, when her youngest child, Irving, six, enters Primary 1, he will be in the afternoon session, while his siblings will be in the morning one.

'If they are all in the morning session and if school starts a little later, we can all have breakfast together. Now, my children can spend time together only during the weekends,' said the 40-year-old.

The school bus issue, however, remains an obstacle.

One reason some schools have stuck to the 7.30am start time is that many bus drivers have refused to pick students up later. The drivers prefer to get children to school early because this gives them time to take on other jobs, like ferrying factory workers. If schools start later, they say, business may be affected.

To make up for this, Singapore School Transport Association chairman Wong Ann Lin said fares might have to go up when primary schools switch to a single session. He said this is to cover rising costs as bus vendors have to buy more buses and hire more drivers to ferry more students in the morning. They will also have to forgo picking up other passengers like factory workers if schools start later in the morning.

But principals are confident of coming up with a suitable arrangement. Temasek Primary School principal Low Yoke Kiew said turning single-session will take a few years and this will give her adequate time to negotiate and for the bus vendor to iron out operational matters.

ameltan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 26 Sept, 2008.

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