SINGAPORE — Despite the quality assurance of the Ministry of Education (MOE) brand name, most parents TODAY spoke to said they would not be making a beeline to enrol their children in the MOE kindergartens, following yesterday’s announcement of the details such as the fees and locations of the first five kindergartens.

Some had hoped for lower fees and direct admission to Primary 1 via the MOE kindergartens that will be sited in primary schools. In the absence of which, they would base their decision on what kindergarten largely on proximity to their homes.

Ms Sally Lim, 33, a mother of four, noted the S$150 monthly fee was higher than the S$120 she is paying for one of her child’s enrolment at Telok Blangah PAP Community Foundation (PCF).

Ms Lim, who lives near Blangah Rise Primary School — where an MOE kindergarten will start classes in January — felt it would be “much easier” for parents like her if there was a through train programme. “My child would be already familiar with the school and teaching environment and so, naturally, I would want to place my child there (for primary school),” she said.

A 32-year-old father of two, who wanted to be known only as Mr Ng, said he was glad that one third of the places will be set aside for children from low-income households like his. But with one of his children already in PCF, he felt it would not be beneficial to enrol his other child in a different kindergarten. “My (older) daughter has behavioural problems and we want to be able to keep an eye on both of them,” he said. If there was direct entry to Primary 1, however, he would consider enrolling his younger child in an MOE kindergarten.

Ms Zuliyana Hamid, 32, who was keen to enrol her youngest child in an MOE kindergarten, said it was because one of her children is already a student at Dazhong Primary School, where an MOE kindergarten will be located.

Despite parents’ clamour for MOE kindergartens that are sited within a primary school to provide direct entry to Primary 1, Ms Leung Yee Ping, Executive Director of the Young Women’s Christian Association of Singapore, pointed out such a practice would not be feasible given the keen competition these days for Primary 1 places. “Other parents will feel disadvantaged that parents who have their children in these kindergartens get places before they do,” she said.

Mrs Patricia Koh, Chief Executive Officer of G8 Education Singapore, felt that the MOE would better meet the needs of parents by offering full-day childcare services, instead of just running kindergartens. “Unless these pre-schools are open from 7am to 7pm and remain open during the school holidays, I doubt they will meet the needs of the lower-income parents or parents needing childcare,” she said.

She added that compared to the full-day programmes at childcare centres, the MOE kindergartens would “not be as enriching in terms of teacher interaction and the play that children could benefit from”.

Chua Chu Kang GRC Member of Parliament Low Yen Ling welcomed the special allocation for lower-income families. “Parents with low incomes are often beset with financial difficulties and could struggle with a myriad of other problems,” she said.

Mountbatten GRC MP Lim Biow Chuan, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, felt that the fees are “very low” compared to other kindergarten providers. “It’s my understanding that the MOE kindergartens benefit low-income families”, said Mr Lim, adding that financial assistance schemes are available for needy families.