Pre-school sector outlay to reach S$1.7b in 2022

Singapore

THE government is going to double public spending again on the pre-school sector to S$1.7 billion a year in 2022, which is up significantly from the annual expenditure of S$360 million in 2012 and S$840 million this year.

Describing this as a "heavy but worthwhile" investment, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that there is a broader social purpose to this emphasis on pre-schools.

He said at the National Day Rally on Sunday: "We're talking about infants to six-year-olds. Nowadays, even two-month-old babies are enrolled in infant-care, and that is part of pre-school. Pre-school is important to give our children a good start and have the best chance to succeed in life."

The social purpose that Mr Lee talked about was about providing access to affordable and quality pre-schools that will help greatly to level the playing field for young children, so that all children, regardless of their family background, have the "best possible …