Budget 2013: 15 MOE-run kindergartens to be set up over the next three years

Fifteen government-run kindergartens will be set up over the next three years in Housing Development Board (HDB) estates, with the first five opening in January next year.

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat made this announcement in Parliament on Wednesday adding that these kindergartens will refer to the latest research in early childhood education to develop best teaching methods and practices. These practices would then be shared with other pre-schools.

These kindergartens will be sited at primary schools or in community spaces but details on the admission criteria, details on number of places and exact locations will be released in two weeks.

He added that the Government was pushing for quality in the pre-school sector as it builds a strong foundation in children for lifelong learning.

He said given the growing demand for quality kindergarten education, MOE is prepared to go beyond these 15 centres. But how far and how fast MOE proceeds will depend on our experience and assessment, and the feedback from parents.

The Education Ministry and the Ministry of Social and Family Development have over the years raised the baseline qualifications of principals and teachers and strengthened programmes by developing and disseminating curriculum resources. A quality accreditation framework called SPARK was introduced to encourage preschool centres to improve.

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