MOE reviews student care oversight after Little Professors closure, says Dr Janil Puthucheary

On 2 March 2026, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said it is reviewing its governance and oversight of school-based Student Care Centres (SCCs) and Kindergarten Care (KCare) operators following the abrupt closure of Little Professors Learning Centre in February.

Senior Minister of State for Education Janil Puthucheary told Parliament that the ministry’s first priority was to minimise disruption to students and families and to ensure continuity of after-school care across affected schools.

MOE has since begun sourcing new SCC and KCare operators for the impacted schools. As part of the selection process, operators must demonstrate adequate financial standing before being considered.

Dr Janil said that prior to this incident, MOE had not had cause to terminate the services of any school-based SCC or KCare operator.

Interim measures to ensure continuity of care

Responding to questions from Members of Parliament including Jalan Besar GRC MP Shawn Loh and West Coast-Jurong West MP Dr Hamid Razak, Dr Janil outlined the steps taken since MOE was first alerted to issues at Little Professors in February.

“Our first priority was to minimise the disruption to students and their families,” he said, adding that schools stepped in to provide interim after-school support immediately.

School staff were deployed on a rotational basis to bridge the staffing gap. Over the past three weeks, schools also engaged relief manpower, including retired staff, flexi-adjunct teachers and external instructors.

Parent support groups in some schools volunteered to assist, while MOE headquarters officers provided on-site support to reduce administrative burdens.

“All affected schools have been able to continue providing after-school care for students,” Dr Janil said, expressing “deep gratitude” to those who stepped in.

He added that school staff who contributed additional effort during the interim period “will be recognised”.

Support for affected staff and parents

Dr Janil said MOE is concerned about former Little Professors staff who were adversely affected by the closure.

The ministry is working with NTUC and the Education Services Union (ESU), which are supporting affected workers with short-term financial relief, job referrals and career guidance through NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute.

MOE and schools have also employed and paid former Little Professors staff in their original centres, if they are willing, until a permanent operator is appointed.

“This will provide some financial stability for these affected staff in the interim, while they continue to care for our students,” Dr Janil said.

Affected staff have been advised to approach the Ministry of Manpower, the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management or the Central Provident Fund Board to file claims for unpaid salaries and CPF contributions.

Regarding unauthorised Giro deductions, Dr Janil said MOE filed a police report after reports were made in February. Parents were advised to cancel Giro arrangements and consider filing claims with the Small Claims Tribunal.

“As police investigations are ongoing, I am not able to comment further on this issue,” he said.

Questions on financial safeguards and whistleblowing

Several MPs pressed MOE on due diligence and early warning mechanisms.

Shawn Loh, who declared his advisory roles with education unions and that one affected school was in his constituency, asked about safeguards to ensure operators maintain sound financial standing.

Dr Janil said financial standing is assessed at the tender stage, including capitalisation, financial reserves and governance depth.

Since January 2025, all awarded contracts require yearly submission of audited financial statements.

“We continue to have oversight of this process,” he said, describing the system as “an evolving series of mechanisms”.

On whistleblowing, Shawn Loh noted that some parents had provided feedback about deteriorating service quality last year, and asked whether earlier signals could have been detected.

Dr Janil said MOE reviewed feedback received, noting that in 2025 the ministry directly received 212 emails and phone calls on SCC and KCare centres.

“There was nothing untoward in the feedback that we’ve received from Little Professors, and nothing different from what we had seen across other operators,” he said.

He added that once serious issues emerged in February, MOE acted immediately.

Proposals to strengthen sector resilience

Dr Hamid Razak proposed measures to enhance systemic resilience, including developing a “white list” or strategic partnership with operators that could step in if another provider ceases operations.

Dr Janil said the suggestion was “worth considering”, noting the need to build systemic resilience rather than relying solely on school staff and volunteers.

He also acknowledged suggestions to develop broader operational and financial triggers, such as monitoring rapid expansion or staff layoffs, to detect potential instability.

“I take his point that perhaps we need a mechanism to give us systemic confidence that we have sight into the finances and operations,” he said.

On parents’ deposits, Dr Janil said earlier double Giro deductions reported last year had been returned. Later deductions required a police report and remain under investigation.

He said MOE would study appropriate mechanisms, including possible safeguards, to restore parents’ confidence.

The Workers' Party MP Associate Professor Jamus Lim asked whether the Government could coordinate collective claims for affected parents, rather than requiring individuals to approach the Small Claims Tribunal.

Dr Janil said the situation is still developing and that MOE would find ways to assist affected families.

Managing teachers’ workload

Jalan Besar MP Wan Rizal raised concerns about additional supervisory duties assigned to teachers during the interim period.

Dr Janil acknowledged that teachers had taken on extra responsibilities and said this would be recognised by schools.

“Our intent is indeed for the teachers to focus on their primary duties and, where possible, for us then to relieve them of these duties,” he said.

He noted that arrangements vary across sites, depending on available former Little Professors staff and external hires.

Reflecting on the incident, Dr Janil described it as the first time a school-based student care operator had collapsed in this manner.

He said that despite this, continuity of care was maintained across all eight affected schools, crediting the professionalism of education staff and the broader ecosystem of stakeholders.