Requirement for MOE-registered Preschools and Kindergartens to Conduct Meet-the-Parent Sessions in English Unless Otherwise Specified by Parents
Ministry of Social and Family DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether MOE-registered preschools must conduct meet-the-parent sessions in English unless otherwise requested, as raised by Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim. Minister for Social and Family Development Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M responded that MOE and the Early Childhood Development Agency do not stipulate a specific language for these meetings. Preschools maintain the flexibility to use any language comfortable for both parents and teachers, though sessions usually follow the teacher’s designated medium of instruction. Teachers may accommodate parents who cannot communicate in a particular language by using an alternative language they understand or by seeking assistance from other staff members. The existing policy requires preschools to share child development progress with parents at least every six months, or every three months for infants, to foster strong partnerships.
Transcript
26 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether there is any requirement for MOE-registered preschools and kindergartens to conduct meet-the-parent sessions in English unless the parent specifically requests that meetings be conducted in a vernacular language.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Strong parent-centre partnerships are important to support the development and well-being of children in preschools. The quality of these partnerships is enhanced when there is regular communication between parents and the preschool.
The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), which oversees the licensing of private childcare centres and kindergartens in Singapore, as well as MOE, which oversees MOE Kindergartens, requires preschools to record their observations and assessment of children’s key areas of learning and development and to share this information with parents or guardians at least once every six months. For infants, this must be done every three months.
Preschools typically share the child’s progress in learning and development with parents during parent-teacher meetings. MOE and ECDA do not stipulate the language to be used for parent-teacher meetings and preschools have the flexibility to conduct these meetings in the language that is most comfortable for both the parents and teacher. The meetings are usually conducted by the preschool teacher according to the teacher’s medium of instruction (that is, in the English Language (EL) for the EL teacher and in the respective Mother Tongue Language (MTL) for the MTL teacher). However, where the parent is unable to communicate in a particular language, the teacher may choose to communicate in a language that the parent can understand, if the teacher is able to. The EL teacher may also support the MTL teacher in communication with parents, where required.