Prescribed Teacher-child Ratios in MOE Kindergartens and Proportion of MOE Kindergartens Exceeding Prescribed Ratios in Past Five Years

Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan asked the Minister for Education (a) what is the prescribed maximum teacher-child ratio in MOE Kindergartens (MKs) at Kindergarten 1 and Kindergarten 2 respectively; (b) whether this is a binding requirement or a guideline; and (c) in each of the past five years, what is the percentage of MKs that had classes which exceeded the prescribed ratio.

Mr Desmond Lee: All the Ministry of Education Kindergartens maintain a teacher-child ratio within 20 children to one teacher for Kindergarten 1, and 25 children to one teacher for Kindergarten 2. This is aligned with sector requirements stipulated by the Early Childhood Development Agency.