SINGAPORE — Edusave contributions (EC) will be extended from next year to all children who are Singapore citizens aged seven to 16, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced today (Aug 19). This will benefit 20,000 more children, including those enrolled in madrasahs, privately-funded schools, as well as children who are home-schooled or residing overseas. The MOE, following up on the announcement by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in yesterday’s National Day Rally, said that it targets to implement this by the second half of 2014 and will provide more details at a later date. The EC amount will be pegged to what students of the same age group in MOE schools receive. Currently only students in national schools receive Edusave accounts and contributions. Those aged 7 to 12 will receive the EC amount applicable to primary-level students, which is currently S$200 per year. Those aged 13 to 16 will receive the EC amount applicable to secondary-level students, which is currently S$240 per annum. Like students in MOE schools, children who are home-schooled or enrolled in non-MOE schools in Singapore will be able to use their EC to fund enrichment activities in Singapore organised by education providers. Prime Minister Lee had said in his National Day Rally that the policy change signals that the government values every child, and wants to give every person the best possible chance to start off well in life. First introduced in 1993, Edusave aims to maximise opportunities for all Singapore citizen children by providing support for enrichment activities. CHANNEL NEWSASIA