Singapore schools are teaching students a new skill this year: how to take care of their environment.

Starting at the end of this year, students in all schools, ranging from primary to secondary schools, will get involved in cleaning up their school environments.

Although this is the first time cleaning is compulsory, many primary schools already have similar programs.

According to the Straits Times, students will be cleaning up during various parts of the day, including after recess and at the end of the day, covering areas like corridors and cafeterias.

The purpose of the activity is to cultivate good habits and instill in children a sense of responsibility and care for the greater community

And kids seem to be tackling the task with enthusiasm!

Singapore’s acting Minister of Education recently visited a primary school to observe a lesson and joined in with students to clean up at the end of the day.

Daily cleaning isn’t the only way Singapore is teaching students about caring for the environment.

Singapore is well known for being one of the cleanest cities in the world. It also ranks first in the Asian Green City Index, which measures cities’ environmental performance.

As part of a larger national effort to keep Singapore clean well into the future, the government launched The Clean Singapore Learning Trail, a national curriculum to teach students the consequences of littering and how their personal actions affect the environment.

The program aims to make students appreciate all the effort that goes into keeping Singapore clean and understand that everyone has a part to play in protecting the environment.

Even simple life habits like cleaning up after oneself, can be a great stepping stone for taking further action to help protect the environment. Learning important values like responsibility and looking after your surroundings at a young age is vital in building future generations of global citizens who care about their environmental impact.

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