Families who live in Bukit Panjang, Sengkang, and Punggol will be able to enrol their children in four new schools which will be opened in mid-2018.
Construction of the premises will start early this year and the registration for these centres will begin in the second quarter of this year.
There will be a total of 2,700 seats available for the children, 1,000 seats for each of the school in Punggol, 400 seats for the school in Sengkang, and 300 seats for the school in Bukit Panjang. Those in Punggol are believed to be the largest child care centre in the country, as a centre in a Housing Board void deck would usually admit only around 100 children.
The one in Bukit Panjang and one of the centres in Punggol will be operated by NTUC’s My First Skool. While, the other one will be operated by PAP Community Foundation.
Sengkang centre will be operated by School4Kidz, which will be built at the Sengkang Riverside Park. The school will run a curriculum that takes an advantage of its natural environment as the premise will be built in the area of 3,600 sq metre, almost four times the size of an average childcare centre.
The students will be able to have nature walks, a butterfly lodge and a school garden which allows students to harvest ingredients for their own meals.
Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony of the school in Sengkang on Wednesday (18 January) morning, Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin said, “This centre at Sengkang Riverside Park is the result of a partnership with NParks (National Parks Board), so that our children can easily participate in physical and outdoor activities. This enhances their well-being and development, and also nurtures their appreciation for nature from a young age.”
“(Building childcare centres in) parks is a new development, something that we are quite excited about. We are tracking very closely and reviewing the demand as it evolves. We are very much on track. But we do know the needs of parents, they are all anxious about their children’s early childhood education,” he added.
Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has partnered with NParks. They include activities for children to learn about Singapore’s natural heritage.
There is an educational resource package about the country’s biodiversity which has been distributed to 80,000 children in 1,600 pre-schools.
Member of Parliament for Sengkang West, Dr Lam Pin Min, stated that the new centre alleviates but does not eradicate demand in his constituency, saying, “The demand is still very high. But based on feedback from residents, I think we need to hold even more childcare centres. Many parents actually feedback that they have been placed on the waiting list for the past six to 12 months. Even with the completion of newer childcare centres, they are still deprived of a place. That tells us that demand is still there.”
Illusion of subsidised childcare from PAP
The anchor operators for the four sites are appointed by the government. They receive grants and priority in securing sites in HDB estates for setting up the centres.
While the anchor operators must cap fees at $720 a month for full-day childcare, among other criteria but the grants and subsidies for things such as rent, would mean that they enjoy a profit margin higher than convenient industry players despite charging cheaper fees.
This gives an illusion that the residents are subsidised by the People’s Action Party and NTUC run childcare but in reality, taxpayers’ monies are used to gain such political capital with voters.
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