Raffles students get World Cup holiday. Teehee~

Seeeeee.. I told you, Wan Lin! And I kid you not; it was on the front page of The Straits Times. XD

Jul 9, 2010

RI students get World Cup day off

By Amelia Tan & Hoe Pei Shan

MUCH of Singapore will be glued to television sets on Monday morning, when that once in four years event - the World Cup Final - rolls around. Not schoolchildren, however. Many want to watch the game, but having to throw off the covers at the crack of dawn to head to class rules it out. Unless they are from Raffles Institution (RI). The school was the only one among 30 The Straits Times contacted that is giving its students a bye. It has declared Monday a holiday, allowing students - and not a few teachers - to head to bed after either the Oranje of Holland or Spain's La Furia Roja lift the coveted cup, which will occur well after 4am. RI's principal, Mrs Lim Lai Cheng, said she had promised her students a day off to celebrate the 28 national sports titles and nine gold awards for uniformed groups the school landed this year. She had not decided on a date, but teachers and students dropped not-so-subtle hints that July 12 was their choice, and she went along with it. Students elsewhere were not so lucky. Other principals contacted rejected the idea of declaring Monday a holiday, though they have the flexibility to do so. Their reasons mainly centred on a lack of curriculum time. Hwa Chong Institution students, however, have a hope. Its student council has made what it thinks is a win-win proposal: Let there be class, but let it start one to two hours later. The proposal is being reviewed, with a decision expected today.

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