Two-thirds of children graduating from MOE kindergartens apply for affiliated primary schools

SINGAPORE - A majority, or about two-thirds, of the children graduating from the kindergartens run by the Ministry of Education (MOE) typically register for their affiliated primary schools.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, a ministry spokesman said 40 per cent of those who register do so under Phase 1 of the Primary 1 registration exercise, which is for children with older siblings already enrolled in the school.

The rest apply during Phase 2A, which children from the MOE kindergartens qualify for if they are applying for their respective primary schools.

This is based on the application numbers since the 2018 Primary 1 registration exercise, when the MOE kindergarten children were eligible for Phase 2A. 

This year’s Phase 2A ended on July 14. 

The vast majority of MOE kindergarten children secured places in their affiliated primary schools, said MOE. 

It added that overall demand for MOE kindergartens has been “healthy”, with total enrolment steadily increasing over the past few years.

In 2023, about 8,800 children have been enrolled in 50 centres across the K1 and K2 levels.

This is up from 7,500 children in January 2022.

“We expect continued healthy demand for MOE kindergartens located in areas with upcoming developments and families with young children,” said MOE.

Plans for new centres

are on track, with 10 more opening in the next four years. Five centres will take in their first cohort in 2024, while another five will be in operation by 2027.

In response to queries, MOE said that on average, three in four children enrolled in the Early Years Centres (EYCs) operated by PCF Sparkletots and NTUC First Campus’ My First Skool subsequently go on to attend the partner MOE kindergartens.

There are currently 41 MOE kindergartens with EYC partners, which provide infant and childcare services for those aged two months to four years old.

Under this model, eligible children from the EYCs are offered a place at a partner MOE kindergarten when they turn five to continue their K1 and K2 programme.

Mr Serwin Leong, 42, and his wife chose the MOE kindergarten located at Naval Base Primary School in Yishun for their two children, aged five and six.

His K2 daughter secured a spot in the primary school for 2024’s Primary 1 intake through a ballot earlier in July. 

“I like that it resides in a primary school, so that the transition will be more seamless,” said Mr Leong who is a secondary school teacher.

His son and daughter were both previously attending a PCF Sparkletots centre nearby. 

“The kindergarten doesn’t have ‘ting xie’ (Chinese spelling) – we do worry about whether the kids can cope in Primary 1 – but hopefully their interest in learning continues beyond pre-school,” he said. 

“They learn language in context, so it’s more relevant and the kids’ interest and curiosity are sparked.” 

Mr Leong added: “What surprises me is that my daughter wants to do the homework she brings back from school on Friday evenings – it could be a simple colouring exercise, video or photo submission, or a family bonding activity like picking up leaves in the neighbourhood.

“So she has become used to the routine of doing homework after school,” he said.

Mr Jumanikasni Awi, 33, said his six-year-old son’s reading ability has improved significantly since attending the same MOE kindergarten.

“The school puts in a lot of effort – the kids bring a book to school every day, and it encourages reading in the mornings,” said the civil servant. 

Another plus point was having Malay language lessons, he added, as it was not easy to find pre-schools that offer mother tongue languages apart from Chinese.

“His Malay language isn’t that good, but he has improved a lot. When he was younger, he didn’t understand anything, but now he knows when we’re talking about him in Malay,” Mr Jumanikasni said.