WE REFER to Madam Sim Hwei Hsia's letter 'Don't aircon kindergarten classes, lower fees instead' (my paper, April 18) and wish tomake some clarifications.

We fully understand the parents' concern about the revision of our school fees, which have been kept very low for as long as we could. However, we can no longer do so because of many factors which have forced us into this unpleasant situation.

One of the reasons is that we are facing increasingly high operational costs of running the education centres.

We have improved the teacher- pupil ratio. With the emphasis on quality education, the number of pupils per class has been drastically reduced from 40 to 25. This is to let teachers have a closer rapport and qualitative interactions with the pupils in the classroom. The drop in enrolment due to declining birth rates has also contributed to lower income while overheads remain the same.

There is also the employment of trained and more qualified teachers and the re-training of existing teachers to provide the children with an updated, focused, dedicated and quality pre-school education. The improvement in the job market has tightened the squeeze on experienced, qualified teachers. Inevitably, we are forced to continually adjust the teachers' salaries to match the competition head on so as to retain good teachers.

In 2007, we installed computers in all our centres to teach interactive computer programmes to all our pupils. The use of computers as a learning tool ensures that our pupils are trained in the latest technology to prepare them for formal school. It also boosts our pupils' confidence and encourages learning at a higher level ahead of their time and their peers.

The installation of air-conditioners is to provide our children with a comfortable learning environment, as well as a move to accede to some parents' request for air-conditioned classrooms. The education centre in Blk 875 is very near the neighbourhood centre, a semi-wet market and a bus stop. The noise level and the pollution emitted by the goods delivery vehicles will affect the health of our children.

The installation of air-conditioners in the classrooms will also drastically reduce distraction from the students of nearby schools who are passing by, people going to the market, other passers-by and commuters waiting at the bus stop.

Air-conditioners will be installed in the centres at Blocks 875 and 601. Blocks 853 and 624B will continue to remain as non-air-conditioned centres so as to give parents the choice of which centres to enrol their children in.

Our centres' operational hours were revised from three hours to four hours per session from January 2008 without any corresponding increase in the school fees. The adjustment of 90 cents in January 2008 was due to the two-percentage-point increase in the Goods and Services Tax.

For K1 and K2 classes, we have been charging $50 from 2004 to 2007 for the three-hour course.

Notwithstanding the increase in fees, families who earn below $1,800 a month can apply for financial assistance under the Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (Kifas), where eligible applicants can get up to 90 per cent subsidy for the school fees.

We are committed to continue providing good quality and value-added pre-school education for our pupils. The increase in fees will help us achieve this goal.

Ms Amy Chia
Administrator
PCF Woodlands

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