PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION

Mr Imram Bin Mohamed asked the Minister for Education (a) whether he has statistics of children in the relevant age group who do not attend pre-school classes; (b) whether, by not attending a pre-school class, a child will be seriously disadvantaged when he or she enters primary school; and (c) if there is any plan to formalise pre-school education so that standards can be maintained and places are available for every child regardless of the means of his parents.

The Minister of State for Education (Dr Aline K. Wong) (for the Minister for Education): Sir, more than 99% of each cohort of Primary One pupils receive pre-school education. The small proportion who do not attend kindergarten is steadily declining. For the last three years, the numbers and percentages of Primary One pupils who have not attended pre-schools classes are as follows: Year No. % of total P1 pupils 1993 345 0.93 1994 261 0.62 1995 222 0.43

The children learn basic literacy and numeracy as well as social skills in kindergarten. Pre-school helps them to settle well into the school routine when they enter Primary One.

However, the headstart they enjoy over children who do not attend pre-school is a temporary one. Several years ago, my Ministry did a study on the language ability of Primary Three pupils. It found that after three years of schooling, there was little difference in language skills between pupils who had attended pre-school programmes and pupils who had not.

The Government's policy is for the schools to concentrate on formal education starting from age 6 in Primary one. This is the age for proper schooling in nearly all developed countries. The Government has decided to leave kindergarten education to the private sector. The fact that nearly all children attend pre-school classes without Government intervention shows that this policy is working well and that most parents find the pre-school fees affordable. The few who have difficulty with fees can approach various community organisations for assistance. 3.00 pm

Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question time.

[Pursuant to Standing Order No. 21(3), Question Nos. 15, 17 and 18 have been postponed to the sitting of Parliament on 13th March, 1995. Written answer to Question No. 16 on the Order Paper is reproduced in the section, 'Oral Answers to Questions Not Reached' (Cols. 105 - 106).]