SINGAPORE: As a new academic year begins for Singapore undergraduates, more attention is being given to issues of student well-being.

University students face a wide range of pressures, especially academic stress. A poll conducted in 2022 by the Inter-University Network, a network of university student unions in Singapore, found that almost 90 per cent of undergraduates said that work and study commitments were their greatest source of stress.

A recent article on Singapore’s internship rat race exposed how intense and exhausting it can be for students to gain desirable career prospects by juggling multiple internship stints with their studies.

Several steps have been taken to combat the stress undergraduates face. Universities have implemented stronger counselling and student support systems, conducted welfare workshops, and scheduled well-being days free of lectures and tutorials.

Another solution being tested is protected time off on Wednesday afternoons. The National University of Singapore (NUS) recently announced its students will be able to take time off from 3pm to 6pm on Wednesdays. This is to encourage “greater participation in out-of-classroom and student life activities” for a more holistic university experience.

However, when I first heard the news as a current undergraduate of NUS, instead of joy, I felt a creeping sense of dread.

IS THE SOLUTION A SHORTER WEEK?

Four-day school weeks have been implemented elsewhere in Singapore. Raffles Institution (RI) began their own four-day school week in 2021, allowing students to take a break on Wednesdays.

In my experience as a former Rafflesian, t...