Hong Kong vs Singapore Preschools

Singapore vs Hong Kong.

Living in a metropolitan city has its perks: safety, a clean environment, and a higher wage. However, these cities could cause unnecessary stress amongst the working-class folks. In this article, a comparison will be made between two similar cities, Singapore and Hong Kong. Singapore keeps its crown as the most expensive city in the world, with Hong Kong not very far behind at third place (Fonacier, 2025). Similarities will be discussed, followed by the key differences.

The role of academics

Reading proficiency in preschool directly affects children’s reading skills in primary school, and so both Singapore and Hong Kong preschool curricula focus on literacy, and rote learning is often used in Hong Kong when it comes to Chinese characters (Li & Rao, 2005). Both countries are similar in that they are academically driven and understand that a good education guarantees better living conditions.

Declining birth rates

Kindergarten is not as packed as the rest of Hong Kong, with its ever-declining birth rate, with 18 preschools closed and a further 30 more are closing, but some schools aim to overcome this issue with quality programmes (Fong, 2025). Singapore’s birth rate is one of the lowest in the world, with government schemes like the Large Families scheme to encourage Singaporeans to have more babies, but even in 2024, the year of the Dragon, there was not an auspicious increase in babies born, with couples either having babies later or not having them at all (Tan, 2025). Both Singapore and Hong Kong may be facing an ageing population crisis in the near future if these situations continue.

Admission into preschools

Hong Kong toddlers have to go through screening processes, and parents have to fill in detailed forms, and that is because their preschools are private businesses, and thus there is an elitist mindset amongst these schools only to accept gifted children, and this led to tuition centres for babies up to six months old (Fung, 2025). Whereas in Singapore, children do not need to attend preschool, but parents typically do when their child is three, and these schools are regulated by the Ministry of Education (MOE) or the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), and there are government subsidies for certain schools (Families for Life, 2026). There is a more difficult standard for preschools in Hong Kong than in Singapore.

Bilingualism: Is that important?

Singapore believes in teaching pre-academic skills, and its main language is English, while the child’s mother tongue is the second language, and teachers in Singapore believe bilingualism is crucial in society (Li & Rao, 2005). In preschools, the teachers speak to the classes in English. There are also plenty of activities where children learn to practise their fine motor skills, to ensure they can write later on.

On the other hand, the Hong Kong government acknowledges that some schools use inappropriate teaching strategies for academic skills, while parents teach both Cantonese and English, which leads to poor execution of both, and Hong Kong teachers do not believe in bilingualism. (Li & Rao, 2005). Hence, there is a poorer standard when it comes to teaching language to children.

Thus, though both countries’ preschools share common similarities, there are also noticeable differences. Singapore and Hong Kong are both expensive cities with high standards for academics, and the cost of living is one key factor as to why there are ageing populations with declining birth rates. However, Singapore triumphs over Hong Kong because its preschools are easy to get into, and it believes in bilingualism.

 

References

Families for Life. (2026). Preschool: How it Works and Why It’s Good. Retrieved from Families for Life: https://familiesforlife.sg/pages/fflparticle/Young-Children-How-Why

Fonacier, K. (22 July, 2025). What it means to live in Singapore and Hong Kong—two of the most expensive cities in the world for luxury living. Tatler. Retrieved from https://www.tatlerasia.com/power-purpose/wealth/singapore-hong-kong-most-expensive-cities-julius-baer-2025

Fong, E. (7 January, 2025). Why international kindergartens are bucking the wider trend of school closures in Hong Kong. South China Morning Post. Retrieved from https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3293311/why-international-kindergartens-are-bucking-wider-trend-school-closures-hong-kong?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article

Fung, M. (8 November, 2025). Think S’pore’s education system is competitive? Try Hong Kong’s pre-school admissions interview. The Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/babies-toddlers-have-to-ace-interviews-to-get-into-pre-school-in-hong-kong-how-do-parents-cope

Li, H., & Rao, N. (2005). Curricular and instructional influences on early literacy attainment: evidence from Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore. International Journal of Early Years Education(3), 235-253. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760500295870

Tan, T. (19 January, 2025). S’pore sees no baby boom in Year of the Dragon despite slight rise in births in 2024. The Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/community/spore-sees-no-baby-boom-in-year-of-the-dragon-despite-slight-rise-in-births-in-2024

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