PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION CENTRE (Approval process of licence)

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PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION CENTRE:

(Approval process of licence): 4.

Mr Zainudin Nordin asked the Minister for Education (a) how many applications for pre-school education centre licence has his Ministry received in the last 5 years; (b) what are the criteria for approval of the licence; (c) what other Government agencies are involved in the approval process; and (d) whether these agencies work closely on such approvals or do they merely focus on their respective areas of concern.

The Minister of State for Education (Mr Chan Soo Sen) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, since 1999, five years ago, MOE has registered 99 pre-school education centres or kindergartens. MOE registers kindergartens if they meet the basic requirements in land use, safety, hygiene, teacher qualifications and curriculum.

Potential operators would need to obtain clearances from the relevant authorities before applying for registration with the Ministry of Education. To start with, they must obtain legal status for their kindergartens. Hence, those that are commercially run would, first, have to register the businesses with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). Those that are community-based must ensure their parent organisations have been registered with the Registry of Societies.

Like all businesses and societies, the kindergartens would have to seek planning approval from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for land use as a kindergarten, from the Fire Safety and Shelter Department (FSSD) for fire safety compliance, and from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for traffic and parking clearance. For rebuilding or extensive alteration of premises, approval from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is also required.

However, for the Housing Development Board (HDB) owned premises, potential operators can obtain all the clearances for the premises through the HDB.

MOE would assess the suitability of the curriculum and teacher qualifications before granting registration. During the approval process, the relevant authorities consult with one another where necessary.

From 30th August of this year, applicants can apply for multiple licences using one Government portal, ie, Online Businesses Licensing Service (OBLS) which Members can reach at http://licences.business.gov.sg to obtain clearances from the relevant agencies, and wait for outcomes given by respective agencies. Hence, potential operators can apply for the registration of kindergartens through OBLS. The one-stop portal enables applicants to identify the clearances needed to start a kindergarten and to apply for clearances simultaneously for the proposed premises. To date, since the end of August this year, the Ministry of Education has received five applications through OBLS.

Mr Zainudin Nordin: Sir, may I know, on the average, how long is the process, from the point when a company applies for a licence to the point when the licence is awarded?

Mr Chan Soo Sen: Of course, it depends on specific cases. Before OBLS, on the average, it takes about four weeks. After OBLS, on the average, it takes about two weeks.

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