Provision of Resources to Student Care Centres for Free Placements for Children from Low-income Families

Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry will consider resourcing Student Care Centres (SCCs) registered with the Ministry to allow SCCs to offer free placements for children from low-income families.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Children from lower-income families can benefit from the Student Care Fee Assistance scheme, or SCFA. SCFA is a tiered subsidy scheme which provides monthly subsidies of up to 98% of student care fees, up to a maximum amount of $290 per month. SCFA beneficiaries can also receive a one-off grant of up to $400, to offset enrolment costs.

After subsidies, lower-income families can pay as little as $5 per month for the child to attend student care. The scheme has been designed such that families co-pay an affordable amount according to their means, rather than have fees waived entirely. This is so that we preserve a sense of individual responsibility, which is a key tenet of our social compact.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development will continue to review SCFA regularly to ensure that student care remains affordable for lower-income families.