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 impractical to allow children to play through preschool in a competitive society such as Singapore, many citing their own personal stories of how they were forced to send their children to enrichment classes to keep up with the rest. 

So who is correct and what should parents do? Allow their child to laggard behind their peer and risk being castigated for it later or allow their child to be swept by the herd to keep up with the rat race? Unfortunately, there is no rule book one can look up the answer in. It depends on one's perception of what education means for us - does it mean literacy? does it mean academic excellence? or does it mean holistic development of the child that prepares the child not only for future exams but for life? It may seem confounding but if one keeps the child's best interest as top priority, then it is easy to see light.

As a mother of two, I agree that as we are living in a society which is driven by the desire to excel (which is both good and bad), and is fiercely competitive; we cannot risk social isolation as parents and wilfully relegate our children to the bottom of the academic ladder. But at the same time I would refuse to take the bait in a never- ending game where the child's first years are sacrificed to up the ante. It is important to decide how much of this competitiveness is really necessary for the child and how much of it is healthy?

My son aged 5, is studying in K2 in an International School. I do not send him to any preparatory or enrichment class except those non-academic ones in which he himself evinces interest - for example he loves playing with clay and I had enrolled him for pottery classes that helped hone his motor skills and creativity, and after participating in a musical in school he wanted to play the drum so I now take him for a half-an-hour once-a-week drumming classes. I have so far resisted the temptation to send him to holiday camps which are very popular with parents in Singapore (even though it can be really tough handling two boisterous boys at home) as I feel he is too young and needs to play and learn at his own pace rather than in a structured program.

Studies at home (only started in K2) are limited to an hour on weekends and begin/ end with what he terms as 'fun studies'- namely story-telling, magnetic numbers, scrabble, cross-words, colouring or join the dot activities. I make sure he goes to the estate playground every day and has plenty of outdoor time. At home his favourites pastimes are Thomas trains, Lego Blocks and Disney Junior cartoon. I have been reading stories out loud to him from his infancy so he has developed a keen interest in books and today he can read Level 2 books with ease. The fact that he is going to join primary school next year does not intimidate me because I believe that even if he is not fully prepared yet, he can and will pick up pace soon enough. The only mental preparation required for both him and me are the longer school hours in primary school.

It is no secret that early childhood years are important formative years for the child in which he gains cognitive and motor skills, social skills, values and many other traits that go beyond his childhood and carry him into adolescence and adulthood. It is also important to remember that these first few years of life are the only truly carefree years that one gets so it is downright cruel to pressurise the child so much that he fails to enjoy the carefree splendour of childhood.

But having said that, various educationists and child psychologists have conceded that preschool age is the age at which a child's ability to grasp, learn and memorize is more potent than it will ever be. So it is a good time to lay the foundation for languages, phonics, writing and numeric basics to the child. And lest it be thought otherwise most children love reading from story books or listening to how words rhyme or how numbers add and subtract as it challenges and exercises their brain. Thus, if these concepts are introduced in the pre-school curricula through play, music and movement without making them tedious and repetitive, the child enjoys  this assimilation of knowledge. Needless to add that when the child discovers his ability to read and write, he revels in it. Basic literacy combined with softer skills helps even a most reticent child extrapolate his emotions and exhibit confidence.

The Ministry of Education, Singapore states in its framework for the preschool curriculum that the aim of kindergarten education is amongst others, "To promote a love for learning".  The Programme envisaged is thus, "The daily programme of each level includes learning activities that develop language and literacy skills, basic number concepts, social skills, creative and problem solving skills, appreciation of music and movement and outdoor play. Children will learn in two languages, English as the first language and Chinese, Malay or Tamil as a Mother Tongue language. "

So the question is  that if the preschools are following the curriculum, why are the parents still sending their children to enrichment classes to prepare them for primary school? Why are the parents not confident that their wards will be able to cope up with the Primary School syllabus?

A. Is it because the Primary schools are asking too much from their students - the expectation from a child entering primary school is much more than what has been imparted to him at preschool?

OR

B. Is it because the preschools are not preparing the students well enough for primary school  - they are not orientating the students for this quantum academic leap?

OR

C. Is it that preschools are preparing students well for primary school but parents are ignorant of the same making them dread this crucial transition for their child?

OR

D. Is it because the parents in Singapore are over-zealous and over-ambitious, anxious to ensure that their children do not get left behind and fare better than their peer in Primary school, and in the process pushing them too hard, too soon?

  • If the answer is A or B then it is imperative that the disconnect between preschools and primary schools is plugged at the earliest so that parents do not feel pressured to send their young children to 2 schools or to daily enrichment classes to bridge the gap (definitely a disturbing trend and one which can potentially harm rather than benefit the child). If the child gains all that he needs from school and does not have to spend hours taking extra classes, he or she can spend the remaining time playing and learning through play (which as the P.M rightly pointed out is the hallmark of childhood and should not be dispensed with.)
  • Enrichment classes should be as the name implies be used only for the enrichment of the child and not for obtaining a seat in primary school or better grades in class. If parents are enlisting their kids into various enrichment classes to prepare them for primary school  and to impart basic literacy (reading/ writing) skills then something is surely amiss in the education system and must be set right.
  • Preschool education model where children are imparted basic academic skills while also simultaneously being trained through the alternate system of  Montessori learning is considered a very rewarding model worldwide. Montessori learning is not only a hands-on approach to learning and helps reinforce what is taught in class, but it is also fun, unobtrusive form of learning ideal to hold the interest of playful preschoolers.
  • In Singapore, as many working couples send their children to day-care, often the terms day care and preschool are used interchangeably and the expectations from both are confused. 
  • If the answer is C - 'that there is no disconnect between preschool and primary school, but the parents are not aware of the same' - then it is important for schools/ ministry to clarify in clear terms what the expectations are from a child who is graduating from preschool and is seeking admission to primary school, so that both the student and the parents are better prepared.
  • However, if the answer is D -  'that the parents are going into an unnecessary over-drive in preparing their child for primary school', then it is indeed an unhealthy trend and must change. The trend for enrolling kids into as many enrichment classes as possible to keep up with the rest has to stop. The mindset that "my child must know all that is being taught in school from before" needs to be done away with. One has to acknowledge that every child has been blessed with a potential that varies from the next child and as much as we try we cannot equalize it, rather we end up frustrating ourselves and the child. As the Prime Minister said, "No homework is not a bad thing". Similarly, no enrichment class is also not a bad thing.
The Prime Minister's remarks are to be taken in context. It is over-preparedness that he is cautioning against and not preparedness. It is about striking a balance. Most children here start preschool at the tender age of 3 and spend the next 3-4 years in preschool before they enter primary school. It is the collective responsibility of the schools and the parents to ensure that they gain basic skills without having to lose out on the ''fun n frolic' of childhood.





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