Should MOE be the lead agency in the pre-education sector?

SOME 500 kindergartens come under MOE while nearly 800 childcare centres that provide kindergarten and nursery programmes are under MCYS.

The kindergartens are run by a host of operators - ranging from the People's Action Party Community Foundation (PCF) and religious outfits, to clan and grassroots associations. The childcare sector comprises a wide range - from established chains like EtonHouse to one-centre operations at HDB void decks.

The monthly school fees for kindergartens and childcare centres could range from as low as $100 to more than $1,000.

The first Reach proposal calls for childcare centres to be moved from the purview of MCYS to that of the MOE, but leaving room for MCYS to continue with its involvement.

As the chairman of the Reach group, Mr Lee Kwok Cheong, explains, the fundamental principle is that early childhood education should be an integral part of the education system and fit seamlessly into primary education.

'Since MOE - not MCYS - looks after our education, then MOE should also look after early childhood education.'

MCYS can still play a role in providing support to families in need, adds Mr Lee, who is the chief executive of the Singapore Institute of Management group.

He says: 'The role of the lead agency is to set and enforce higher standards in teachers, teaching and operations. It does not need to run the centres.'

Ms Fiona Walker, principal director of Chiltern House, which runs four childcare centres in Singapore with 800 children, is all for it. She says: 'We're happy under MCYS, but it makes sense to have one lead agency in ensuring standards in the pre-school education sector.'

Her views are echoed by Dr Christine Chen, a member of the Reach group and president of the Association for Early Childhood Educators Singapore. It has 500 pre-school educators as members.

Dr Chen says there is a greater need for one ministry to take charge and align practices in childcare centres and kindergartens, given the Government's announcement to set up 200 more childcare centres over the next five years.

She believes that if one ministry takes charge, it will ensure better governance and efficient planning, and reduce duplication of services.

Dr Sam Yap, chairman of the Association of Private Childcare Organisations comprising more than 200 operators, observes that the childcare sector under the MCYS has been improving, but having MOE take charge would be a strategically sound move.

MP Josephine Teo, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Education, notes that when two or more agencies are involved, role clarity and coordination are a challenge.

She feels that if MCYS becomes the lead agency, the tendency is to view early childhood education as a social service, whereas if MOE is the lead agency, the emphasis is more likely to be pupil outcomes and professional standards.

'Speaking as a parent, I think the vast majority of parents want to think of early childhood education as being beneficial to child development, as opposed to just helping us with our child-minding duties. Hence the preference for MOE to be the lead agency,' says Mrs Teo.

She is among a group of MPs in recent years calling on the Government to play a more active role in pre-school education.

To be fair, more has indeed been done since 2000 by both MOE and MCYS to raise the standards of operators and teachers in pre-school education and also to give parents more help in picking suitable centres. (See 'Reach proposals under study: MOE')

But are existing efforts enough?

Not to Dr Sirene Lim, an academic specialising in early childhood education.

She tells Insight that it is about time the Government thinks about taking over the sector, instead of putting stop-gap solutions to raise quality.

She suggests a systemic review that looks across pre-school to primary and secondary education.

The Reach workgroup also stresses the need to raise the image, standing and pay of pre-school educators, especially those at childcare centres who are sometimes viewed as nannies by parents.

The poor image, coupled with low pay and the lack of a clear career path, has led to a high turnover of pre-school teachers at some centres and the industry's failure to attract new blood.

Teachers with diplomas in pre-school education are paid about $1,500 to $1,800 a month. Those with certificates command about $1,400 to $1,650.

An Education Services Union (ESU) survey of 5,000 pre-school teachers in 2007 showed that 34 per cent wanted to leave their jobs within 12 months. Some 56 per cent of those cited low pay as the key reason.

The solution? Get MOE to train pre-school teachers by relying on its current expertise in training government school teachers, argues Reach's Mr Lee.

Adds MP Zainudin Nordin, ESU's executive secretary: 'Early childhood educators often compare themselves with their counterparts in the other education institutions and would look forward to additional support.'

Not all, however, want the system to be revamped. Mr Tay Swee Yee - group chief executive of PCF, the largest kindergarten operator with 246 centres islandwide and 33 Sparkletots childcare centres - has no problem with the current arrangement.

Having worked with MOE and MCYS, Mr Tay observes that both ministries are aware of the need to elevate the standards and quality of pre-school operators and educators, and constantly seek feedback on educational standards.

Likewise, Dr T. Chandroo, chairman and chief executive of Modern Montessori International (MMI) with more than 30 pre-school centres here, sees enough room for both agencies to be involved.

Noting that MMI's centres come under both ministries, he says: 'MOE should be the best governing body in terms of setting and maintaining standards of curriculum, as well as qualifications of pre-school teachers. MCYS should continue to oversee the running of pre-school centres as this generally still falls under the area of social service.'

Lawyer Priya Ramachandra, 35, expresses reservations about having MOE train pre-school teachers the way it does with government school teachers.

Her concerns stem from her positive experience with the Chiltern House childcare centre in East Coast Park.

Says Ms Priya, who sent her two sons Rohin and Sharad, seven and five, there: 'What I like about the centre is that they have quite a good number of overseas-trained teachers who have a different approach towards education compared to the locally trained.

'If MOE takes over and trains new pre-school teachers, would we see more bearing the traits of Singaporeans, which might be too rigid and structured?'