Joining the Preschool Debate in Singapore- An Opinion
A debate that has been hotting up in Singapore recently is whether preschoolers ( kids between the age of 3 and 6) are better off learning through play or should they be sweating it out in school, enrichment classes and home in order to get a head start in Primary School. The debate sparked off after Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong in his 2012 National Day Speech exhorted parents to stop hothousing their children and to allow them to learn through play. The response to the PM's comment from educationists and parents has been overwhelming but divided. One set of parents ( mostly parents of children who are either going to college or have yet to start preschool or grandparents) have complimented the Prime Minister and lauded his advice. The other set of parents ( whose children are actually in preschool or preparing to go to primary school and who were presumably the targeted group for the comment ) have been largely critical of the Prime Minister's remark, terming it i