PRE-SCHOOL CLASSES RUN BY PRIVATE ORGANISATIONS (Regulation)

Mr Cheo Chai Chen asked the Minister for Education, with the decision to close pre-school classes run by his Ministry, whether he will regulate the operation of private organisations running pre-school classes so that every Singaporean child in every constituency will have a place in these classes.

Mr Lee Yock Suan: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government has decided that it will concentrate on improving the formal education system and leave the provision of kindergarten education to the private sector. It is therefore up to the private kindergartens to decide where to locate and how many places to offer. It is not within the purview of my Ministry to ensure that there will be enough kindergarten places in every locality. Parents must seek out the kindergartens which best suit their needs and in some cases the kindergartens may not be so conveniently situated as some parents may like them to be. Similarly, my Ministry does not regulate other private schools in terms of their location and capacity.