Making Kindergarten Education Compulsory and Integrating It into Formal Education System
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Mariam Jaafar’s inquiry on making kindergarten education compulsory and the factors for its integration into the formal education system. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing responded that the Government has no such plans as 95% of children aged five to six are already enrolled. He stated that the current strategy focuses on removing enrolment barriers by providing affordable, quality preschools, with a target of 80% government-supported places by 2025. Additionally, lower-income families receive priority placement and targeted subsidies that can reduce monthly half-day kindergarten fees to as low as $1. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing concluded that kindergarten remains accessible to all Singaporeans through these proactive measures rather than through a compulsory mandate.
Transcript
24 Ms Mariam Jaafar asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the Government will consider making kindergarten education compulsory; and (b) if so, what will be the factors taken into consideration for it to be integrated into the formal education system.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: To enable our children to have a good start, the Government has invested significantly in preschool education over the last decade. Preschool enrolment has also grown and 95% of Singaporean children aged five to six years are now enrolled in preschool. There are sufficient places for every child.
Rather than impose compulsory kindergarten education, the Government's approach has been to remove impediments to preschool enrolment by ensuring access to affordable and quality preschools, such as in Government-supported preschools. Today, over 65% of preschoolers are in Government-supported preschools, up from just over half in 2019. We will continue to increase spaces so that 80% of preschoolers can have a place in a Government-supported preschool by around 2025.
We also provide targeted assistance to lower-income families to address practical challenges in enrolling their children in preschool and ensuring their regular attendance. Children from lower-income families are accorded priority when enrolling in MOE Kindergartens (MKs) and Anchor Operator (AOP) preschools. After Government subsidies, low-income families may pay as low as $1 per month for half-day kindergarten in MKs and AOP preschools.
As kindergarten education is affordable and accessible to all Singaporeans, we have no plans to make it compulsory at the moment.