PUBLISHED ONFebruary 03, 2025 3:22 AMByKhoo Yi-Hang"It's like an enforced time to study," Andrew Koh, a parent, said of private tuition.
Koh, a 45-year-old father of two, reckoned he spends between $700 and $800 a month on tuition classes for his Primary 4 daughter.
On average, his daughter attends five hours of classes per week after Koh noticed that her grades were dropping.
Koh told AsiaOne: "The problem was that [my daughter] spends a lot of time watching TV or YouTube."
"That's confirmed," his daughter interjected, leading to laughter from Koh.
He continued: "[They also] play with their devices - if they go for tuition, I think that will help them to spend their time more meaningfully."
Koh is one of many Singaporean parents who have contributed to the $1.8 billion spent on tuition in 2023, according to a report by The Straits Times on Jan 20, citing the Singapore Department of Statistics's Household Expenditure Survey 2023.
The survey, which polled 13,100 households between December 2022 and December 2023, is conducted every five years.
The amount spent on tuition, which includes lessons in homes or at centres, have risen from $1.1 billion in 2013 to $1.4 billion in 2018 before reaching $1.8 billion last year, The Straits Times reported.
In 2023, households spent approximately $404 per month on education, of which almost $105 was spent on tuition.
In the previous survey, families spent $340 each month and about $88 on tuition.
The amount of money spent by households varied according to their income, with the top 20 per cent spending almost $163 per month while the bottom 20 per cent spent $36 within the same period.
For Koh and other parents AsiaOne spoke to, the money pumped into their children's private tuition has been worthwhile.
Koh shared that his daughter's results for Mathematics and Chinese Language have gone up by two grades each, and that they've only just enrolled her in Science tuition.
"Class sizes [in school] are a bit big, I think we definitely need extra tuition... School teachers are overworked and can't afford [to give] the attention that tuition teachers can give to students in class," he told AsiaOne.
Father-of-three Sivashankar, 41, has all three of his children attending tuition classes.
His two Primary 6 boys attend six hours of tuition a week, while his Primary 1 girl goes for two hours of tuition each week.
Across all three children, Sivashankar said that he spends about $275 per child per week, or over $3,300 a month.
He decided to start sending his boys for tuition as a "boost" to cover gaps in their school education and for academic guidance in ways that parents cannot provide.
"The tutors are there actually as guidance to fill up the hours where they (children) are at home, for them to do their revision and prepare them for examinations," he explained.
But tuition results have been a mixed bag for Sivashankar, he added.
While one of his boys has benefitted significantly from tuition, the other has not.
"It varies child to child… the child's perspective and dynamic must suit the tutor, and the method of tutoring must suit the child," Sivashankar said.
For one of them, tuition is mostly a means of "filling up time" so that he can spend it productively. For the other boy, however, it helps polish up his understanding of curriculum.
While he feels that not all Singaporeans are overly-reliant on tuition, the majority of parents he's spoken with or seen online do rely on tuition a lot.
"There are other parents who feel that what the school is providing is sufficient," he also said. "If they (children) need any support, it would be more of what the household can do for them."
For Eric Yap, a 46-year-old father of two, tuition has been crucial in helping his children make the passing grade for their Chinese Language exams.
Both his boys, Primary 3 and Secondary 1, attend two-and-a-half hours of tuition each week, costing Yap $500 a month in total - $300 for his older boy and $200 for his younger child.
"Parents tend to be working, so we don't have enough time to focus on their (children's) studies," Yap said.
"Sometimes, we have to rely on tuition to buck up their results."
To him, tuition is a means of strengthening subjects which a child might be weak at - "just to supplement", he explained.
While many parents may spare little in giving their children the best tuition they can afford, a teacher we spoke to disagreed with how children should be educated today.
Speaking with AsiaOne, the anonymous junior college teacher - also a mum herself - said that parents spend "too much" on tuition nowadays.
"Students find it expensive too," she said, adding that cost doesn't always equate to quality tuition - an element of luck is involved in finding the right fit for each student.
She added: "[Singaporeans are over-reliant on tuition], and I think it's time for a mindset shift as a nation."
Sharing her perspective with AsiaOne, the teacher said: "As a mum and also an educator, I trust that my children's learning is best done in the traditional way."
The teacher also explained that she never had any tuition growing up, so she maintains hope that neither her nor her daughters will be influenced or "peer-pressured" into joining the "tuition game".
Presently, both her daughters are coping well with schoolwork and learning, and she's "very pleased" with her eldest daughter's primary school experience thus far.
"[My daughter] enjoys school a lot and I hope it stays this way," she said.
Tuition does have its uses, however - and both parents and educators alike understand it's benefits.
Rebecca Chan, a lecturer of psychology and child and human development at the National Institute of Education, commented that the $1.8 billion spent is "an astronomical figure for a 6.2 million small nation".
She also explained why parents might want to send their children for tuition despite the costs it may incur.
"Besides providing students with more drill-and-practice opportunities, [tuition] also offers students a sense of psycho-social safety to ask questions and clarify doubts attributed to the smaller teacher-student ratio," Chan said, adding that tutors may be more patient when dealing with the needs of individual children.
Chan also stated that parents may feel that sending their child for extra classes shows support and love for their child, especially since Singapore is a competitive society - tuition may pave the way for more opportunities for their child in the future.
Tuition can also be used to "assuage the fear of their children spending time in the wrong things or company", Chan said.
Some parents may also have high expectations and demands of their children, and children themselves may also request tuition knowing that they can do better given the right support.
"It's worth the time and money when a child regains his self-confidence and self-efficacy in the subject matter," Chan elaborated.
"Gaining self-awareness that 'I’m not a hopeless case' critically impacts how the child will face life obstacles in adulthood. The child may be more willing to seek mentorship instead of struggling silently."
When asked if she feels if Singaporeans are too reliant on tuition, Chan simply said that the figure - of $1.8 billion spent - speaks for itself.
Instead of spending on tuition, however, students could form a self-study group with friends or peers, Chan said.
Parents also have a role to play in this, as they could cultivate in children a love for reading at a young age.
"Children learn to pay attention in class and to self-regulate by having a regulated routine e.g., a block of time for study and time for play," she clarified.
Parents can also encourage curiosity and teach their children to learn independently, and to evaluate information against different credible sources.
They could also guide their children towards observing healthy habits such as sufficient sleep, engaging in sports and eating nutritiously.
Parents should also secure family bonding, Chan added.
"Experiencing emotional support is equally if not, more important than receiving academic support."
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khooyihang@asiaone.com
