Should pre-school education be ationalised?
THE proposals for pre-school education to come under MOE and be made compulsory trigger a more controversial question: Will pre-school education be ‘nationalised’? If MOE assumes the role of lead agency, does it mean it should stipulate a set curriculum at pre-school centres? And if pre-school education is made compulsory, will the ministry take over the running of all centres? Far from it, observers say. They do not think that MOE should bog itself down with the operations of pre-school centres and curricular standardisation. As Mrs Teo sees it: ‘There is no test for entry into primary schools which would necessitate standardisation. ‘We should therefore allow a broader range of early childhood education philosophies and methods to be available. Diversity is healthy and competition can help raise standards.’ PCF’s Mr Tay acknowledges that standards across centres are uneven, ‘just as all educational institutions are’. The onus is on parents to be discerning and decide which pre-school
