More after-school centres to serve more students in coming years: PM Wong

SINGAPORE - An after-school student care service founded by Singapore’s four community self-help groups will open more centres in the coming years.

Making this announcement at Big Heart Student Care’s 10th anniversary celebrations on Sept 14, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong noted that student care in Singapore has evolved beyond basic homework supervision.

“For those of us growing up in Singapore in the 70s, maybe even in the 80s, student care was virtually non-existent... We were left to our own devices, and we had to learn to be independent very quickly.”

When they were first introduced, after-school care centres provided basic services. These days, centres constantly innovate, such as by introducing play-based learning and deploying mentors to help students build socio-emotional skills, PM Wong said.

Big Heart Student Care has enrolled over 17,000 pupils in the past 10 years. Thousands of staff, parents and children joined the celebrations at a carnival at D’Marquee in Downtown East on Sept 14.

Ms Low Yen Ling, chairwoman of the self-help groups’ joint venture company Self Help Groups Student Care, announced two new Big Heart initiatives to help children thrive in a fast-changing world.

The first initiative, PlayQuest, will provide hands-on explorations across the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and maths.

“There will be creative zones, as well as literacy-numeracy boosters to nurture curiosity, confidence and imagination,” said Ms Low, who is also Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth.

There are currently 30 centres in Singapore and the initiative will be piloted at seven of them in 2025. It will expand to all 30 centres by 2026, reaching more than 5,000 children.

Another pilot programme, for pupils who need more help with social or emotional skills, developed with the Ministry of Education, will also be launched in 2026.

“The goal is to strengthen their social-emotional competencies, nurture greater confidence and help them build healthy relationships,” said Ms Low.

Under this programme, pupils will be paired with mentors to explore interests in areas such as art, music, dance and sports.

In 2015, four self-help groups – the Chinese Development Assistance Council, Eurasian Association, Singapore Indian Development Association and Yayasan Mendaki – came together to provide school-based student care centres for all pupils.

Nearly 5,600 pupils are currently enrolled at its centres.

At the carnival was Madam Tok Shi Shi, 44, along with her husband and two sons, aged 10 and 13.

She enrolled her older son Ashton in Big Heart when he was in Primary 4, and her younger son Aden when he was in Primary 1.

“My husband and I are both teachers working full-time, so it gave us peace of mind to enrol Ashton, and later Aden, in Big Heart. It was very convenient, and we knew our sons would be safe and learn a lot,” said Madam Tok.

Ashton, who is currently in Secondary 1, said: “Those three years at Big Heart were very enriching for me. I learnt many values like resilience, and enjoyed the sports and outdoor activities.”

Noting that after-school student care should not be an afterthought, PM Wong said: “Where and how our children spend their time after school does have implications on their growth and development.

“It is a golden opportunity for children to build character and social skills, and explore new interests.”