Recognition of Early Childhood Education Qualifications Obtained from Foreign Institutions

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development what considerations does the Ministry apply for the Early Childhood Development Agency to recognise educational qualifications obtained from foreign institutions, without the need to do a conversion course or take the Early Childhood Education diploma course.

To ensure Early Childhood (EC) educators have the requisite professional, academic and language requirements to teach and care for our preschoolers, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) establishes minimum educational qualifications.

ECDA also approves local EC training courses that meet our standards. For foreign qualifications, ECDA will assess the coverage and relevance of the course modules to ensure they meet our certification requirements. Those who fully meet ECDA’s requirements will be certified without the need for additional training. However, those who do not may be required to undertake stipulated training before they can be certified as EC educators.