A DECLINING birth rate among the Chinese community is raising concerns over the future of Chinese primary schools, the rising cost of raising children and the need for greater government support to help young couples start families.
While some have called for incentives to encourage childbirth, others say the financial burden of parenthood, changing priorities and the lack of affordable childcare are among the reasons more couples are choosing to have fewer children or remain childless.
Penang Chinese Town Hall (PCTH) chairman Tan Sri Tan Khoon Hai said the state government should work with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and Chinese associations to encourage young people to marry and start families.
He suggested that the government consider providing financial incentives to couples who have at least two children as a way to encourage childbirth.
“The state government must chip in and provide some initiatives, such as giving out money as a token of appreciation to couples who have two children,” he told Buletin Mutiara.
Tan said more young people were delaying marriage, with some choosing to marry only in their 30s or even 40s.
While acknowledging that the rising cost of living was a factor, he said young people today generally had better education and earning power than previous generations.
He suggested exploring matchmaking initiatives and organising forums and activities to raise awareness among young people about the importance of starting a family.
“It is not a short-term effort. We must keep up the momentum over the long term,” he said.
Tan also noted that some couples might choose to marry but not have children, adding that the declining population could have long-term implications for the Chinese community’s economic standing and electoral representation.
Sharing his own family experience, he said his father and grandfather each had 11 children, with family members continuing to maintain close ties despite living in different parts of the country and in Singapore.
Federation of Chinese School Management Boards of Penang and Seberang Perai chairman Datuk Lee Tiam Lim described the declining birth rate among the Chinese community as a crisis that could affect school enrolment, the community’s population share and its political influence.
“This is not alarmist talk. A sustained drop in the birth rate will eventually subject the nation to the pressures of an aging population,” he said.
He attributed the trend to rising child-rearing costs, modern lifestyles, later marriages and changing priorities among younger people, with some choosing to remain single or have fewer children.
He said incentives to encourage childbirth could help, but would not provide a definitive solution.
He also cautioned that relocating Chinese primary schools would not solve declining enrolment if the overall student population continued to shrink.
“Moving a school to a different location may still fail to attract a sufficient number of pupils,” he said, adding that schools should be relocated based on actual local demand, particularly in growing residential areas such as Alma in Bukit Mertajam.
Lee warned that some small Chinese primary schools with only a dozen or 20 pupils could see their enrolment fall to single digits, increasing the number of micro-sized schools nationwide
On the teacher shortage, he said maintaining the annual training of about 1,000 teachers could gradually ease the problem over the next five years and potentially resolve it within a decade, as declining student numbers would also reduce the number of classes required.
SK Convent Green Lane Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) chairman Predeep Nambiar said the declining birth rate was also reflected in the enrolment challenges faced by some Chinese primary schools.
He said some schools were struggling to attract enough pupils, with headmasters looking beyond the Chinese community to encourage children of other races to enrol.
Predeep attributed the problem partly to the economic pressures faced by families, including the rising costs of domestic helpers, infant formula, childcare and kindergarten fees.
“Many families lacked a reliable support system to care for their children, as both parents often had to work and some grandparents were unable to help because of their own health issues,” he said.
He proposed that the state government expand affordable childcare centres and kindergartens, provide free services for B40 families and heavily subsidise fees for the M40 group.
Other suggestions included providing infant formula vouchers and training unemployed graduates to work as childcare providers.
Journalist Chan Chin Hoo, 39, said the decision not to have children was not necessarily related to race, but could stem from the financial and personal responsibilities of parenthood.
“I don’t think this issue has anything to do with race. The reason I don’t want to have children is that the cost is simply too high,” he said.
Chan said the commitment went beyond financial expenses, as parents also had to take responsibility for their children’s upbringing and education until adulthood.
Story by Edmund Lee