SINGAPORE, May 23 — More than 650,000 students heading back to school will receive hand sanitiser, with those in primary schools and pre-schools also getting face shields, Temasek Foundation said yesterday.
Temasek Foundation, the philanthropic arm of state investor Temasek Holdings, said it is working with its partners to ensure that all schools can receive these items by June 8, when all students will be back in school.
“Given the logistics involved, some students may not receive the items on the first day they return to school,” it added. “Should this be the case, we encourage parents to ensure their pre-school and primary school children use their own masks or face shields in school in the interim.”
The initiative is a partnership among the Ministry of Education, the Early Childhood Development Agency and Temasek Foundation. In all, 42,000 teachers and contract staff members are also expected to benefit from it.
Students in pre-schools, primary, secondary and special education schools as well as junior colleges will each be given two bottles of hand sanitiser — a 500ml bottle and another 50ml pocket-sized one to carry around.
The sanitiser solution is made up of 40 per cent isopropyl alcohol and 0.1 per cent benzalkonium chloride, a disinfectant that can be used against coronaviruses, Temasek Foundation said.
Pre-school and primary school students will also be given a face shield each “as an alternative to face masks”, added Temasek Foundation. It noted that face shields “can be washed simply with soap and water to maintain its anti-fog properties”.
Given that they may have to come into close contact with children, all pre-school teachers and staff members will be given face shields and an oximetre, which measures the amount of oxygen in the blood.
Some have already received these when they completed their swab tests over the past few days, while others will receive them in the next few weeks, Temasek Foundation said.
Institute of Technical Education students, staff members and service contractors will each be given a pair of MaskSafe DET30 reusable masks, one 50ml pocket-sized hand sanitiser, and a 500ml bottle of sanitiser.
MaskSafe DET30 masks are reusable and can retain their antimicrobial effectiveness for up to 30 washes. By alternating between the two reusable masks, they can be used daily for up to two months, Temasek Foundation said.
Temasek Foundation Nurtures chief executive officer Koh Lin-Net said: “We would like to do our part and help our children and teachers to stay safe by equipping them with a face shield or mask and also hand sanitiser that will come in handy when they have no immediate access to soap and water.” — TODAY
