Extending Current Childcare Leave Entitlement to Those with Primary School-going Children
Prime Minister's OfficeSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang’s inquiry into extending childcare leave for parents with children aged seven to 12 in response to home-based learning (HBL). Minister Indranee Rajah explained that these parents currently receive two days of paid Extended Childcare Leave and can still utilize schools or student care centres. She stated that extending leave for all HBL days is unfeasible due to the unpredictable COVID-19 situation and potential negative impacts on parental employability. Minister Indranee Rajah emphasized that increasing the adoption of flexible work arrangements is a more sustainable solution for balancing work and family duties. The Government will continue working with stakeholders to promote family-friendly workplace norms and support parents in managing HBL challenges.
Transcript
57 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Prime Minister whether the Government will consider extending the current childcare leave entitlement to those with children between seven and 12 years old (inclusive) in light for the increase home-based learning.
Ms Indranee Rajah (for the Prime Minister): We fully empathise with the challenges faced by working parents when schools shift to home-based learning (HBL) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Working parents with children aged seven to 12 years old can each take two days of paid Extended Childcare Leave, in addition to their annual leave entitlements.
Primary schools and student care centres also remain open during HBL days, to care for students whose parents are unable to secure alternative care arrangements.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has also developed a set of practical tips as part of the "Parent Kits" accessible on MOE’s website, to help parents in supporting their child’s HBL.
It would be difficult to extend childcare leave to cover all HBL days. Currently, HBL for primary schools is implemented to curb the transmission of COVID-19. Given that the number of HBL days required depends largely on the national COVID-19 situation, extending childcare leave to cover all these days would not be feasible. As explained in my earlier replies to Mr Gan Thiam Poh and Mr Louis Ng’s previous parliamentary questions on childcare leave, we need to take a practical approach to calibrating leave provisions, to avoid affecting parents’ employability. At the same time, extending childcare leave by anything less would not address the underlying concern, which is the parents’ ability to be present at home to care for the child during HBL.
A more sustainable solution would be to increase the adoption of flexible work arrangements to enable employees to better manage both work and family commitments. The Government will continue to work with stakeholders to shape and promote family-friendly workplace and social norms.