MEDIA RELEASE
14 September 2025
SELF HELP GROUPS STUDENT CARE LIMITED (SHGSCL) COMMEMORATES ITS 10TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Big Heart 10-niversary Family Fun Day 2025:
- Big Heart Student Care marked its 10th Anniversary on 14 September 2025 with a large-scale family-carnival at D’Marquee, Downtown East. The event was graced by Guest-of-Honour Mr Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, together with Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and National Development; Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs; and Ms Low Yen Ling, Chairperson of Self Help Groups Student Care Ltd, Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth & for Trade and Industry, Chairperson of the Mayors’ Committee, and Mayor of South West District.
- Also present were key representatives from the four Self-Help Groups (SHGs): Mr Tan Yap Kin, Executive Director of CDAC; Ms Sandra Theseira, President of EA; Mr Anbarasu Rajendran, Chief Executive Officer of SINDA; and Mdm Zuraidah Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan MENDAKI.
- The celebration brought together more than 4,300 students, families, staff, and school leaders from Big Heart Student Care and Big Heart KCare Centres across Singapore, in a memorable event that reflected a decade of growth, partnership, and community impact.
- At the event, Mr Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance highlighted Big Heart’s commitment to continuously innovating in the care, development, and engagement of students. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also shared the organisation’s plans to expand in the coming years, extending support to more children and families across Singapore and strengthening its role in the community.
- As part of its 10th Anniversary celebration, Big Heart unveiled the SG60 mural wall “Together We Thrive”, featuring 30 trees uniquely painted or crafted by its centres. Together, the trees form a collective forest symbolising roots, growth, and hope. Each tree reflects the identity of its centre while highlighting Big Heart’s diversity and shared journey over the decade. The artwork also resonates with Singapore’s 60 years of resilience, adaptability, and unity. To commemorate the occasion, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong added his autograph and a wish message on the mural’s centrepiece, underscoring the spirit of community and collective progress.
Looking Ahead: New Milestones with Project PlayQuest and Pilot Programme to Support Students with Higher Needs
- Ms Low Yen Ling, Chairperson of SHGSCL, announced the launch of two new initiatives during her speech, that will mark Big Heart’s next chapter of growth. Together, these initiatives reaffirm Big Heart’s mission of equipping students with resilience, curiosity, and confidence to thrive in school and life. They are:
- Project PlayQuest:
A joint effort of the four SHGs, this play-based learning programme nurtures curiosity, confidence, and imagination through STEAM exploration, creative zones, and hands-on literacy and numeracy support. Currently piloted in seven centres, it will eventually reach over 5,000 children when it expands to all 30 Big Heart centres by 2026.
- Pilot Programme for Students with Higher Needs:
Big Heart is working with MOE to explore a targeted support programme for students who may need additional scaffolding. Students will receive mentoring to strengthen social-emotional competencies, nurture confidence and build healthier relationships.
They will also have opportunities to explore interests beyond the classroom – like in dance, art, music, or sports. The mentoring and interest-based components are the flagship programmes developed by CDAC and are being implemented at Big Heart with the strong support of the four SHGs.
Big Heart: A Decade of Impact
- In November 2015, the four Self-Help Groups (SHGs) – the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC), the Eurasian Association (EA), Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) and Yayasan MENDAKI – jointly setup a joint-venture and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ministry of Education (MOE) to set up and operate 30 school-based Student Care Centres (SCCs) that will cater to students of all races. This strategic partnership, initiated by the joint commitment of the four SHGs, allows schools to better support the holistic development of our students, especially students from less-advantaged backgrounds, by tapping on the community resources of the four SHGs.
- In January 2016, Self Help Groups Student Care Limited (SHGSCL) officially started operations to operate school-based student care centres under the brand name “Big Heart Student Care”. Since then, SHGSCL has progressively increased the number of school-based SCCs. In January 2021, Big Heart had achieved its goal of 30 Big Heart Student Care centres. It also expanded its services to operate seven Big Heart KCare Centres, which brings the current total enrolment to nearly 5,600 students.
- Over the past decade, more than 17,000 students have benefitted from Big Heart’s programmes, with more than one third receiving support through the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA) scheme. In addition, the SHGs have extended further support to more than 5,000 students over the years through a range of initiatives.
Supporting Students and Families through the SHGs
- Beyond SCFA, the four SHGs – CDAC, EA, SINDA, and MENDAKI – provide additional targeted support to help Big Heart students and their families thrive. This includes:
- Learning & Enrichment: Initiatives such as the ACE Programme, which has benefitted more than 3,000 students with weekly English and Mathematics coaching delivered by trained coaches, and MENDAKI’s STEM activities that spark curiosity and problem-solving skills. Some other notable past programmes provided by the SHGs include CDAC’s Maths Through Chess, Art Workshops by EA, Project GUIDE by SINDA and MENDAKI’s Backyard Science workshops.
- Programme Fee Subsidy (PFS): On top of SCFA, the SHGs’ PFS scheme helps cover out-of-pocket expenses not covered under SCFA – such as full-day programme fees, holiday enrichment workshops, and learning journeys – providing families with up to $471 per year in additional subsidies. This support enables more students to attend programmes during the school holidays – ensuring they do not lose out on valuable enrichment experiences. Cumulatively, nearly 4,000 SCFA-eligible students have benefitted from the PFS scheme over the years.
- Family Referrals: Support for families through job opportunities, financial planning, counselling, grocery vouchers, and other holistic assistance, benefitting nearly 500 families to date.
Partnership Programmes: Preparing Students to Learn, Grow, and Thrive
- Big Heart ensures that every child has access to holistic and enriching after-school experiences, anchored on a curriculum that is values-based and future-ready, nurturing character, resilience, and confidence alongside academic growth. Its curriculum framework integrates academic guidance with social-emotional learning, while also encouraging creativity, healthy lifestyles, and values-driven development.
- To complement this, Big Heart has built a strong network of more than 130 partners – including Youth Corps Singapore, National Arts Council (NAC), Health Promotion Board (HPB), National Library Board (NLB), and National Heritage Board (NHB). These partnerships enrich students’ learning journeys with diverse, meaningful, and experiential opportunities that extend well beyond the classroom.
Quote from Chairperson of SHGSCL: Ms Low Yen Ling
Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Trade and Industry, Chairperson of Mayors’ Committee & Mayor of South West District
- “In the last decade, Big Heart has provided more than just affordable and accessible after-school care to some 17,000 school children from all walks of life. Our community of care, comprising the four self-help groups, mentors, volunteers, and over 130 partners, weaves a scaffolding of additional support that boosts the children’s resilience, uplifts their families and provides them with opportunities to succeed regardless of their starting point.
- This ‘we-first’ spirit, where the village comes together to uplift every child, will continue to be our compass in the years ahead. We will grow our network of Big Heart centres across Singapore to serve more families and level up the playing field. Through our programmes, we will prepare and inspire young minds to be ready with the skills to succeed in a disruptive and fast-changing world. We will continue to touch hearts and create a nurturing and enriching environment for our children, especially those from vulnerable backgrounds, to thrive and blossom.”