Merging Oversight of Childcare and Pre-school Education Matters into One Ministry

Mr R Dhinakaran asked the Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports if it will be timely to consider shifting the responsibility of childcare and pre-school education to the Ministry of Education since the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports is undergoing a restructuring, so that there is a better fit.

Page: 785

Mr Chan Chun Sing: While the pre-school sector is currently overseen by two Ministries, MOE and MCYS have coordinated closely in key policy areas, especially at the kindergarten level. These include requiring the same qualifications for principals and teachers teaching children aged four to six, and adopting the Singapore Pre-school Accreditation Framework (SPARK) for both kindergartens and childcare centres.

As recently announced, the Government will be setting up a new statutory board to oversee early childhood education and care for pre-school children across the age ranges. The statutory board will be responsible for the development and regulation of the pre-school sector, covering both kindergartens and childcare centres. It will serve as a single focal point to drive quality, accessibility and affordability improvements in the sector.

MOE and the new Ministry of Social and Family Development will work closely together on the formation of the new statutory board. More details will be announced in due course.