Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Dr Wan Rizal, Jalan Besar GRC
Question
To ask the Minister for Education with reference to the latest Government survey on household expenditure which found that families in Singapore spent $1.8 billion on private tuition in 2023, an increase from previous years, what measures are being taken to address the potential impact that rising tuition expenditure has on educational equity, particularly for students from lower-income households.
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Yip Hon Weng, Yio Chu Kang
Question
To ask the Minister for Education in view of the disparity in spending on private tuition between households of different income quintiles (a) whether the Ministry foresees a widening of social inequality as higher-income families gain disproportionate access to educational advantages; (b) whether the Ministry can share its assessment of the long-term implication of this trend, particularly on social mobility; and (c) whether any policies are being considered to mitigate these effects.
Response
1. Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to answer PQ No. 7173 with PQ No. 7187?
2. Based on findings from the Household Expenditure Survey 2023 conducted by the Department of Statistics (DOS), the overall growth in tuition expenditure across all households was similar to the growth in overall household income from all sources. It was also similar to the increase in the Consumer Price Index for enrichment and supplementary courses.
3. MOE recognises that the reasons for taking up tuition are varied. While there are some students who genuinely need more dedicated help in coping with their studies, there are others who take tuition even though they are coping well. excessive tuition can diminish students' joy of learning and take time away from their holistic development. It can even be detrimental, when students struggle to cope with the additional demands of tuition.
4. MOE has introduced policy changes to shift away from an overemphasis on academic results and broaden the definition of success. But these moves will not be as effective if mindsets do not change. We must shift our focus – from putting our children through excessive competition against others based solely on academic results, to giving more time and space for the holistic development of our children and helping them to maximise their individual talents and strengths, so that they can be the best versions of themselves.
5. As Dr Wan Rizal and Mr Yip Hon Weng highlighted, the data from DOS also shows a disparity in tuition expenditure between households of different income quintiles. This is consistent with global trends, where parents who are better endowed their resources and networks to support their children's development. In this particular instance, they will sign their children up for more or more expensive enrichment and tuition, hoping that this will help them do better in their studies. MOE is not in a position to intervene in such personal decisions.
6. But regardless of a student's socio-economic background, MOE will continue to make sure that our education system provides opportunities for all students to develop to their full potential, regardless of background and especially students from lower-income households. To this end, MOE has devoted significant resources to support students with higher needs. For instance, our schools provide specialised academic intervention for primary school students who need more support to build their literacy and numeracy foundation, through the Learning Support Programme and the Learning Support for Mathematics. Schools also have partnerships with volunteers and Self-Help Groups that provide affordable academic support. One example is the Collaborative Tuition Programme, which provides students, particularly those from lower-income households, with subsidised tuition.
7. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)'s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 has affirmed our efforts – our students from lower-income families out-performed the OECD average in the core domains of Reading, Mathematics and Science, as well as in Creative Thinking.
8. Mr Speaker, MOE cannot advance social mobility on our own. A whole-of-society effort is needed to share our resources and networks with those who are less well-endowed, broaden our definitions of success, reduce academic stress, and recognise the contributions of those with different skills and talents.