Student Care Services in Primary Schools

Dr Lam Pin Min asked the Minister for Education (a) how is the capacity of student care facilities in single-session Primary schools determined; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider freeing up more spaces for student care services in Primary schools with a high demand for such services.

Mdm Speaker, school-based Student Care Centres (SCCs) provide an important support for students, especially those who can benefit from a structured and supportive environment in after-school care and, particularly, where parents are both working.

Over the last three years, we have been expanding the number of school-based student care centres steadily, from less than 50 to 80 today. The number of students enrolled in these centres has also risen sharply, from around 3,500 to more than 6,500.

The demand for school-based SCC places differs among the schools. Where there is high demand, MOE supports our school principals in setting up or expanding the capacity of school-based SCCs. The expansion depends on

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the capacity of the various SCC operators in scaling up their operations. It is important that we continue to maintain quality even as we expand.

MOE understands that there is an increasing demand for SCC services, and is working with the Ministry of Social and Family Development and SCC operators to increase the number of SCC places, while maintaining quality and affordability.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Senior Minister of State for the answer. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State if schools with student care facilities can consider allowing students from schools without student care facilities to enrol into their programme. Right now, apparently, the schools do not allow that kind of arrangement. Would MOE be looking into regulating student care services to ensure that our service providers do meet certain minimum service standards?

Mdm Speaker, with regard to the first question, the Member would like to know whether a school with an SCC can facilitate to look after students from a school without SCC. One of the primary conveniences about an SCC is that it is located in the school which the students attend. If a student is from another school which is a great distance away, then it could be quite inconvenient for the travelling. If the school is nearby, possibly it is something that can be considered. But we would have to look at it and to review, bearing in mind that each school has its own demand for its students. I think that the school would want to give priority to its own students before it could give places to students from another school. Ideally, one would hope that, where there is appropriate demand, the particular school in question would be able to provide an SCC for its own students. But that depends, as I have indicated, on the capacity of the school, the demand, as well as the operator's ability to ramp up.

The second question was whether MOE would regulate student care services. As I have indicated, MOE looks after the education part of it. It works with MSF where childcare and student care are concerned. In that respect, MOE will continue to work closely with MSF.

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