New training institute will ‘raise pre-school standards’

SINGAPORE — Of the new initiatives announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech, the setting up of a new centralised training institute for pre-school professionals caught the eye of parents and industry stakeholders.

The move would raise quality in the sector, and hopefully the standing of early childhood professionals too, which would attract more to join in nurturing the next generation, they added.

Mr Lee said the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) will have the full range of diploma and certificate programmes for pre-school professionals, and also provide more opportunities for professional development and progression.

Mr Victor Bay, chief executive officer of PAP Community Foundation which operates PCF Sparkletots, said the move reflects “how much the (pre-school) sector has grown in Singapore”.

“Apart from the demand for additional early childhood educators, it will also expand the availability of continuous professional development for our teachers,” he added. “All these will enable the profession to further progress and make early childhood an attractive career for many more”.

Mr Ng Yixian, executive director of EtonHouse International Education Group, added that the increase in professional development opportunities “will have a direct influence on the overall quality standards across all pre-schools in Singapore”.

He added: “(The NIEC) will also help to generate good quality research on the early years that is relevant to the Singaporean context (such as) bilingualism, development of socio-emotional intelligence in young children, use of technology in pre-school education.”

A 31-year-old civil servant who wanted to be known only as Ms Tan and has an 18-month-old daughter, said she hopes pre-school professionals’ salaries would go up with the better training platform. “I feel that teachers in pre-schools are probably underpaid with long working hours,” she said.

Another parent, Madam Sarah Wan, 29, who has two children below age two, added: “Since pre-school teachers will have to undergo the same training, so in a way, the standards will also be standardised.”

She wondered if this would mean the experience in pre-schools would become less diverse, though.

Dr Sirene Lim, academic lead of early childhood education programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, noted that Mr Lee signalled a “continued commitment” towards accessibility of quality child care and kindergarten.

It was important to keep the definition of “quality” broad to encompass young children’s learning experience, as well as physical, nutrition and health needs, she added, in pointing out that the NIEC should go beyond looking at candidates’ qualification, and teacher-child ratio, for instance.

On the move to ramp up Ministry of Education (MOE) kindergartens — from 15 now to 50 in five years — Gracefields Kindergarten principal Joyce Teo wondered if small operators like her might be “edged out of the market completely”.

“Come next year, I don’t know if we’ll be allowed to renew our lease, or (our place) might be slated for MOE kindergarten ... While we have the passion to carry on, passion is not cheap,” she said. “The Government is doing the right thing (by increasing pre-school places), but I hope they can spare a thought for smaller players.”