Proposal to Nationalise Preschool Education

Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin asked the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) what the considerations are for keeping preschool education privatised rather than nationalised as an extension of the current nationalised education system; and (b) what are the continual barriers or current issues that impede nationalisation of preschool education.

Today, we have a diversified preschool sector, comprising commercial operators, non-profit operators, publicly funded operators, as well as a few Government-run kindergartens. A key benefit of this market-based approach is that it provides parents with a diverse range of programmes to choose from, so as to best cater to their preferences and the different needs of their young children.

That said, given the large number of operators participating in this sector, it is not surprising that fees, resources and quality will vary across pre-schools. A nationalised system has the potential to provide more consistent quality and affordability, but this system may not cater to the preferences of every parent.

Internationally, countries have adopted different approaches to early childhood care and education depending on their specific contexts. While some jurisdictions have a state-run preschool system, places, such as Hong Kong and Australia, adopt a similar approach as ours where private operators and the community play a significant role prior to formal primary education.

We recognise that the private sector and the community have built expertise over the years, and we value them as partners in our endeavour to ensure a strong start for every child. Hence, our priority now is to work together to raise the accessibility, affordability and quality of preschool.

One important strategy has been to establish and partner closely with Anchor Operators and Partner Operators in the sector whose preschools are subject to additional conditions, such as fee caps and quality requirements. Today, close to half of Singaporean children are benefiting from quality and affordable programmes in these preschools. We hope that this will continue to grow.

In addition, the Ministry of Education (MOE) plays an active role in supporting and strengthening the quality of preschool education. We are piloting a few MOE Kindergartens as an added quality and affordable option in the landscape. They also serve as incubators for the development of appropriate teaching resources and best practices in kindergarten education, which are shared with other preschool operators. This complements other efforts to raise the quality of preschool education in the sector, such as strengthening teacher training and developing a kindergarten curriculum for the sector.

We have made good progress with our current approach to preschool provision. Today, more than 90% of Singaporean children aged five to six years are enrolled in a preschool. In addition, after subsidies, lower-income families can pay as little as $1 a month for their child to attend pre-school. We will continue to monitor and review our policies for the preschool sector to ensure that every child has access to good quality and affordable preschool.