Places at School-based Student Care Centres

Mr Yee Jenn Jong asked the Minister for Education (a) what is the total number of student care places across all school-based student care centres (SCCs) that are already in operation; (b) how many more SCCs and student care places will be available in schools over the next two years; and (c) what are the measures that the Ministry has put in place to ensure SCCs are staffed with

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trained personnel.

At the Committee of Supply sitting in 2012, MOE had announced our commitment to improve the quality, accessibility and affordability of school-based SCCs as one of the many measures to support students from low- to middle income families. We had pledged then to increase the number of school-based SCCs to 70 by the end of 2014. With strong community support and proactive efforts by our schools, there are already 80 school-based SCCs as of today with enrolment of more than 6,500 students.

At the recent Committee of Supply, we have said that more school-based SCCs will be set up in Primary schools, as part of our efforts to level up and support students. We will make an announcement on this when the details are ready.

Our schools select their SCC operator through an open procurement approach. Prospective operators are required to submit proposals that include the nature of programmes to be offered, fees to be charged, staff-to-student ratio, and the qualifications and experience of the staff. Schools will evaluate the proposals submitted and select the SCC operator that offers the best package in terms of quality and affordability.