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Preschool education in Singapore has been ranked 29th out of 45 countries around the world in a recent study. (AFP file
photo)

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S’pore scores low in preschool education - Yahoo! News Singapore

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Kit • 1 month 19 days ago Save big in Singapore

Not surprising at all.....there are so many so called branded pre-school centres nowadays Receive up to 80% discount on food, hotel and
but if we take a little closer look at each, everybody seems like just pretty much spa deals from Yahoo!
interested in selling their so called award-winning formula only....don't you agree??? www.deal.com.sg/yahoo

Gwen 1 month 17 days ago

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/s’pore-scores-low-on-preschool-education.html[18/8/2012 7:50:01 PM]

S’pore scores low in preschool education - Yahoo! News Singapore

Blame it on the parents, not the society. Parents do their part, everything will
goes well.

Choo 1 month 17 days ago

Yes, they called themselves "premium cc" but very stingy on food for children
and staff, said that they have their own programme but it is just cut and paste
from assessment books you can find in any bookshop. Import FT which I doubt
their qualification to torture our children.

Sansam 1 month 19 days ago

Eeducation in Singapore is better than that in Taiwan. Everything in Taiwan is
always falled into the debating between blue and green thinking of two policy
parties. There is no politician who cares about the people's life and the Nation'
future.

More Reply

Elltann • 1 month 19 days ago

There are many good pre-school teachers who, unfortunately, have had to turn to other
jobs in order to pay their bills and feed their families as the salary scale for this group is
simply pathetic. There are no benefits to speak of, hours are long and considering the
responsibility placed on their shoulders to nurture the future of our nation, they are
grossly underpaid and undervalued! Many who remain in the field have done so in
international schools, which realises the importance of early childhood education and
reward their teachers well. Many parents tend to think of pre-school teachers as mere
babysitters and nannies when these teachers are so much more than that!

Choo 29 days ago

Paul Naidu, if primary school teachers could manage pre-schoolers, there is no
need to train preschool educator. Even in preschool, some teachers are more
comfortable in teaching certain level, not everyone could manage all age group.

Paul Naidu 1 month 17 days ago

Good primary school teachers should be seconded to manage pre-schoolers.
This will help set standards and prepare the students well for primary school.
Pay scales should be set for all pre schools and followed. Pay should
commensturate to their economic worth. Pay them peanuts and they will produce
monkeys in the main.

A Yahoo! User 1 month 18 days ago

I agree absolutely with you! Many pre-school teachers are taken for granted. Low
pay and long working hours especially those in the childcare setting.

Des • 1 month 19 days ago

during the 80s, what PRESCHOOL?! we only had kindergarten. We spent our
"preschool" years running around playing catching, playing at HDB void decks hide and
seek, riding bikes, making a ruckus at those awesome concrete playgrounds with sand....
we had a CHILDHOOD for crying out loud. What do kids have now? Flashcards....
spelling, speech and drama classes, language classes.. why? because when they hit P1,
they are EXPECTED to know a certain level already when in our time, it was up to the
teachers to teach!

Ali Baba 1 month 16 days ago

Oh yeahhh

Pepe 1 month 18 days ago

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/s’pore-scores-low-on-preschool-education.html[18/8/2012 7:50:01 PM]

S’pore scores low in preschool education - Yahoo! News Singapore

Sorry lah Des, those were our times. Where do you expect our children to catch
spiders, catch longkang fish and fly kites in this computer-toy r us and
competitive age? Pre-school education does have its merits where both parents
are out working for a living while their children spend more time during their
formative years with their foreign non-speaking maids than with their parents.
Money isn't a problem for the government if it decides to reform. Problem is how
to make government change its mindset.

S H 1 month 18 days ago

@Abc that's why there's something called "prenatal education". It's only a matter
of time before we have people reading textbooks to their testicles.

More Reply

Pat • 1 month 19 days ago

Singapore education system is mainly rote learning, following the rules and little critical
thinking because the government knows its dangerous to allow the people to think for
themselves. They took out English Lit in most secondary schools many years ago
because that subject is "dangerous" as it encourages critical analysis.

Ilovemusic 1 month 17 days ago

there is still english lit in sec schools -.-

Pat 1 month 18 days ago

* Brit A-levels

Pat 1 month 18 days ago

Eng lit has changed. It was in the media many years ago. MOE cited that many
(not all) secondary schools will strike out the subject in the curriculum because
of difficulty in achieving A-grade and bringing down the school ranking. Its an
hogwash excuse! My nephew's school was one of the affected. The pedagogy
for lit in singapore now has slyly been changed to be more linguistics rather than
critical thinking. At JC level its still critical and practical criticism because they
need to prepare them for the Brit O-levels expectation. My friends studied it at
NTU, but half of it was linguistics. In western universities, linguistics is a whole
different department actually.

More Reply

Brian • 1 month 17 days ago

Is it any wonder we score poorly in quality? Some years ago, when the MOE was about
to do an "upgrade" of our education system, one MP praised the new initiative as being
better able to "produce workers for the new economy". That means our school-going
young are like components on a factory production line. Mere economic digits.
Only a frog-in-the-well Singaporean would praise our sytem. It places unnecessary
stress on teachers and young people so young and full of life. I have 2 nieces and 3
nephews who graduated from universities overseas and now hold excellent jobs in cities
like Toronto, London, Melbourne, Chicago and Seattle and not one of them went thru the
Singapore education system. The government blows it trumpet at every opportunity to
give itself legitimacy but those who have been around know better.

Brian 1 month 16 days ago

ABS and Qtmustdo, I see we are on the same page on this issue. Even if you
have to work two jobs, do it, but never put your kid in a PAP kindergarten and if
at all possible send them to an International School.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/s’pore-scores-low-on-preschool-education.html[18/8/2012 7:50:01 PM]

S’pore scores low in preschool education - Yahoo! News Singapore

ABS 1 month 16 days ago

The problem with Singaporeans is that we don't READ but we MEMORIZED.

Qtmustdo 1 month 17 days ago

Agree with you. When I see school-going young 'uns in USA, UK, Canada, on tv
responding to questions, they speak with intelligence and maturity. Singaporean
children of the same age usually don't speak with similar intelligence and
maturity.

THERAN • Singapore, Singapore • 1 month 19 days ago

Honestly, I hope they wld leave the toddlers alone & let them enjoy their childhood as
children should, instead of torturing them with books, education & making them stress &
mental at an early age.. what lot of parents seem to hv failed to understand is head start
hv lot of negative effects too on the kids on their latter stage of life.. head start with
books & computer & what do you get? kids as young as 4yrs need to wear glasses, i
wonder how gd their eye sight going to be at the age of 40. Kiasu people are the cause
of lot of problems in this world especially in Singapore, according to an Australian fren
they've a more relax system of education. Why can't we have that in Singapore???

Dato' Foo Kee Mak • 1 month 18 days ago

They only care about profit. Quality go behind.

Youlahthan • Singapore, Singapore • 1 month 18 days ago

Pre-school teacher are too often catagorized as child care person and their pay sticks
with that catagory. The lowest grade that a teacher can get. There is no recognition, no
benefit whatsoever, and work super long hours. So what's so surprising that they provide
the same kind of standard to a toddler. Because of such treatment, many locals had to
look for other job that pays decently more (Just to survive), and in their void, "FTs" took
over because someone says locals don't want to do these jobs.

Who causes this? Ask the government... aka PAP.

Floodypore • 1 month 19 days ago

Parents please beware. My child is from PCF (PAP Kindergarten) and he comes back
start saying PAP is best all the time. I realise the teachers at PCF are brainwashing our
children from so young. Please keep politics to secondary schools and above, not
kindergarten.

Janet Lim • 1 month 19 days ago

Pre-schooling for toddlers are very expensive from the appropriate space to teachers.
Many of the young character can be moulded as an individual and as community
development. Many specialists in this area usually find support teachers and staffs hard
to train. In addition, parents must be willing to participate in the pre-school activities and
not just to leave the kids to foster care and do their own things. The government must
look into this area to develop the kids as young as possible. Nuture from home,
community, pre-school and the kids will have higher potential in life.

Paul K • 1 month 19 days ago

I'm not surprised as pre-school education here is too commercialized. They are more
interested in making money than to provide real education for the kids.

Tay • Singapore, Singapore • 1 month 19 days ago

POOR parent teacher ratio = a BILLION $$ tuition industry..even our kindergartens have
a HIGHER RATIO of 20..stingy government or cost/profit driven?? at the expense of
citizens?? honestly education is NOT CHEAP in singapore despite all the subsidies..
why do we need so much budget SURPLUSes?? can it be used to employ more
teacherrs??

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/s’pore-scores-low-on-preschool-education.html[18/8/2012 7:50:01 PM]

S’pore scores low in preschool education - Yahoo! News Singapore

BB See • Singapore, Singapore • 1 month 19 days ago

The solution is not just to build more kindergardens. We need to improve teaching
standards. More importantly reward them fairly. We don't university graduates to teach
this kids. Just A level or Diploma holders with passion to teach children. This govt's
scheme to over pay graduates and short change others cause all this problem. Not
everyone who graduate have the cut to be a teacher. Some are mere rote learners. So I
give this govt a C for this problem. First we must ask them to close down PAPCF. After
so many years of their domination, what have we got? This ranking ? Maybe they are so
focused on degree program that they forgot basic foundation is equally important. Blame
PAP.

Hon Ping • Singapore, Singapore • 1 month 19 days ago

This is a lucrative business and everyone tries to jump into the bandwagon including
ntuc. It suppose help bring the cost down and raise the quality but sad to say it has
failed miserably in its role.

Milo • Singapore, Singapore • 1 month 18 days ago

Stop being so KS and trying to measure and score well everywhere. Kids are kids. Is
pre-study really needed?

Suffering Singaporean • 1 month 18 days ago

DPM Tharman recently says not to prevent a Permanent Underclass society to form here

Our pre-school ranking is even worst than some Third World Countries

Our Ministers are paid Better than First World Countries

Our pre-school charges and more expensive than Third World Countries

Who are the Teachers from these pre-school? From Third World Countries?

Our government policies romanticizes the FTs with pro-FTs stance

Our workers local Singaporeans become jobless at an earlier age 30s

Those in their 40s will be hard done in their job search when jobless while those in their
50s will face hurdles as steep at Mount Everest or the Himalaya

How not to have a PERMANENT UNDERCLASS when policies and programs are
stacked to disadvantage the locals Singaporeans.

Marisa • 1 month 19 days ago

At PCF Blk 232/231 Sengkang, the fee has been hiked from $120 to 155 this yr and
starting next yr the fee would be $180 for Singaporeans, $220 for PRs and $270 for
foreigners for nursery to K2. However, the hours operated are still the same - 4hrs for all
classes. Starting next yr, gymnastics & speech and drama are inculcated with the already
existing syllabus but these extra activities are done at the expense of mainstream
education. Why does a kindergarten allow such a programme with restrictive time
constraints? The least such kindergarten could do is to increase the school hours, so
that a child can be educated and would also have extra time for extra curricular activities.

Julie • Singapore, Singapore • 1 month 19 days ago

There is one Pre-school which is run by self serving money grabbing owners which
claimed to offer international school standard and bilingual classes. They have outlets in
Newton, Mountbatten, Orchard, Outram and even Bukit Timah. The owners are locals
who pretend to be educated when all they wanted is to make money from idiots
foreigners and locals. The teachers are all from Australian and Chinese teachers are
hired from PRC because they are cheap! Horrible local management where the senior
members are from the PAP. I would recommend those to be aware of their great con!

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/s’pore-scores-low-on-preschool-education.html[18/8/2012 7:50:01 PM]

S’pore scores low in preschool education - Yahoo! News Singapore

Not Aladdin • 1 month 19 days ago

Of course rank is low. Some teachers speak singlish and even worse, broken English,
what to do, get all these poorly qualified people. ...

Joker • 1 month 19 days ago

More like Child Care Centre.... where working couples put their kids there.

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