Dragon babies head to school

Between July and August this year, 48,000 new children will register to start primary school in the city-state, a Ministry of Education (MOE) spokesperson said.

``This is the largest number of children registered for primary one in 12 years,'' she said. The surge was caused by a baby boom six years ago during the Year of the Dragon, which falls every 12 years. The Chinese zodiac calendar considers babies born in that year to be auspicious and lucky.

``The demand for primary one places this year is expected to be nine percent higher than last year's,'' MOE said in a statement, citing the Dragon Year influence.

More classes will be opened to cater to the increase, it said. The youngsters register this year but will begin studies in 2007.

Singapore recorded its lowest-ever fertility rate last year at 1.24 children per woman despite introducing a series of pro-baby measures in August 2004.

These incentives included extending maternity leave from eight to 12 weeks, cash gifts for the first and fourth child, and a lower levy on hiring foreign maids.

Preliminary figures for 2005 showed 37,593 babies were registered but Singapore needs 50,000 newborns annually just to maintain the local population without the need for immigration.

Singapore's population stands at 3.4 million, topped up by about 800,000 foreign workers and professionals.