Send children to school or face jail — proposed Singapore law

SINGAPORE, AUG 26: Singapore legislators have tabled a law that will severely punish parents who fail to send their children to primary school, the Straits Times said Saturday.

Under the proposed Compulsory Education Bill, parents must send their children born after January 1, 1996 for at least six years of primary education in national schools. Violators face a jail term of up to one year or a fine of 5,000 Singapore dollars (2,900 US) or both. Parents of children attending Islamic schools, those with disabilities and those on a home-school programme are exempted. Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong last year suggested introducing compulsory education in this small but prosperous island-state.