MOE appoints 4 student care operators to replace Little Professors; will cover 2 months of fees

It made its final decision after assessing 11 companies’ bids, including existing operators with experience and a good track record in delivering after-school care services.

The Straits Times first reported on Feb 14 that 54 employees had lodged reports over unpaid January salaries and Central Provident Fund contributions.

As at March 13, Little Professors faced 123 salary claims from former employees who were informed on Feb 13 that their employment contracts were no longer considered valid and that they could resign without serving notice.

Several parents also discovered that they had been double-charged via GIRO deductions for their children’s February student care fees.

MOE terminated Little Professors’ services for the eight schools on Feb 14 due to “contractual breaches” and filed a police report over the anomalies in GIRO deductions reported by parents.

The new fees charged by the replacement operators are comparable to those of student care and KCare fees in other primary schools and MOE kindergartens, but are generally higher than Little Professors, MOE said.

Except for Kranji Primary School, whose new student care fees will be $5 lower than before at $290, the other schools’ student care fees will range from $250 to $320. KCare will cost between $400 and $425.

Under Little Professors, fees were between $234.60 and $295 for student care services, while KCare costs ranged between $346.80 and $360.

Staff from the affected primary schools had been helping to cover the after-school care after the termination of the contracts in February. Affected parents did not have to pay for the services then.

To help with the transition to the new operators, the ministry will cover fees for April and May and bear the difference in fees for June.

This means that for that month, if the new fees charged are higher, parents will pay only the fees previously charged by Little Professors.

MOE said pupils from lower-income families can still tap Student Care Fee Assistance and KCare subsidies to cover most of the fee increase, if any, beyond June.