Overview
Demand for tutoring services increases; parents willing to spend exorbitantly to provide educational assistance for their children
With examination standards in Singapore increasing, many individuals find themselves lacking the capability to maintain education standards. Due to this reason, over a lengthy period of time, families have sought tutors and tuition institutions as a means of assisting their children. Extra assistance in lessons were initially provided for children who were weaker in their learning sessions or children with special learning disabilities. But this changed with time as competitiveness among students and peer pressure increased, and many students were forced into looking for extra help as a coping mechanism.
Statistics from 2020 show that 46% of Singaporeans preferred tuition as they felt it necessary to maintain competitiveness among students. Over the past few years, the number of tuition centres in Singapore has increased vastly, contributing generously to the revenue of the industry. It was reported that ‘super tutors’ in Singapore earned more than SGD 1 million every year, whereas average teachers at top tuition centres would make up to SGD 4,000 every month.
The private tuition market rates for full-time tutors in 2020 amounted to SGD 35-50 per hour for teaching either primary or secondary school students. The increased need for tutoring saw parents even opting to put their primary school children into tutoring institutions or providing them with private home tutoring. Statistics obtained in 2015 showed that 8 in 10 students who attended tuition classes were primary school students.
Tuition centres viewed in a negative light; higher number of tuition institutions affecting the education system in Singapore
Being referred to as a shadow education structure that focused on academically gifted students or students from wealthy families, the tuition sector within Singapore has grown significantly with every passing year.
With academic competition increasing among students, parents resort to tutoring services as a means to provide children with an academic advantage. With time, the purpose of tuition centers evolved from being a means of assisting school children who lagged behind in school to turning into a compulsory service that many children are made to partake in, especially with the intention of scoring higher grades.
But this being said, vast growth within the sector paves the way for increased concerns about many schools losing excellent teachers to tuition centers due to the increased pay. Many educators also showed concern regarding the attention and focus of students attending school, which showed depletion due to increased dependency on tutoring.
Another factor being noted is the education inequality that is rising among students between children who are from higher income families and children at an economical disadvantage, who are unable to access tuition facilities. The negative aspects within the sector are creating a looming threat for the entire education sector and this is being addressed by the government of Singapore.
Key Trends
Private tuition increases as the pandemic spreads; children provided with extra support along with online learning
With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, the country plunged into a two-month circuit breaker in April of 2020. This measure taken by the government acted as a safety precaution in order to reduce the number of cases that increased daily. Many schools began shifting towards digital learning, which resulted in students utilizing laptops and other devices to aid with the continuation of their education.
Nevertheless, virtual learning led to many children slacking in their educational capabilities, and the value of each subject and the classes being conducted online reduced. With no proper schedule and routine, many parents found their children struggling to cope with lessons and the lack of resources to assist their children. This brought forth an increase in tuition classes within the country as a means to provide children with added support in their education.
The sector peaked greatly during the pandemic and many tuition institutions adapted much faster than regular schools did with regards to offering students more engaging platforms to learn from.
This was noted at the School of Language and Communication (SLC), which provided students with auxiliary classes and specialized in certain areas such as oral studies or comprehension. Classes were carried out via the Zoom application - a teleconferencing app that would soon become an abundantly used platform in every household. This in turn increased student enrolment in 2021 by 50%.
Another institution in Singapore referred to as Gavin’s Tuition utilizes the assistance of logistic firms to enable science experiments to be carried out at student homes, as well as the use of machine learning abilities to track student progress and weaknesses.
Private tuition being regulated as complications within the sector arise; excessive spending on tuition affects the education system
With the increasing number of tuition-led institutions being introduced around the city, a large discord among students and complications within the education system have arisen.
Many students who refrained from attending tuition institutions were able to find healthy coping mechanisms academically and found themselves improving in self-management skills. But with the rapid boom in the sector and increasing competition, many are left with no choice but to seek tuition as a way of improving educational capabilities. The constant focus on academic grades has paved the way for such institutions to prevail and this has resulted in the MOE (Ministry of Education) of Singapore introducing policies in a bid to create a balance within the education sector.
These policies included the reduction of school-based assessments, changes in the PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) scoring system, increasing the number of DSA (District School Admission) places within schools and a plan to enable full subject-based banding within secondary schools by 2024. The subject banding would allow children to pursue selective subjects to recognise and cater to a child's strengths and weaknesses. This would, in turn, offer transparency for parents pushing their children towards excessive tutoring and allow children to experience a more enriched system of learning.
The main reason for the MOE’s stance is the increase in the educational accessibility seen between the rich and poor. The policies are enforced in the hopes of providing all citizens with a chance at excelling in terms of their learning experience, which would benefit society as a whole.
Key Statistics
- Singapore’s Ministry of Education has registered more than 800 tuition institutions.
- Between the period of 2012 and 2018, statistics show that average household spending on tuition increased from SGD 79.90 to SGD 88.40 per month.
- The total revenue of registered tutors in the tuition industry increased from SGD 1.5 billion to SGD 1.68 billion between 2017 and 2019.
- As of 2019, families with a higher income spent more on tuition, where four times the amount was spent by the top 20% as opposed to the bottom 20%.
- In 2018, tuition was seen as a means to improve educational capabilities by 80% of parents in Singapore.
Top Singapore MNCs in Tuition Centre
Kumon Asia & Oceania Pte Ltd
Kumon is believed to be the world's largest after-school learning programme, with centres being spread over 50 regions across the globe. Kumon Asia & Oceania was founded in 1981, and currently operates nearly 80 branches in Singapore. Providing math, Chinese and English programmes, the Kumon method pushes students to develop the skill of self-learning. Catering to learners from the basic level to beyond high school, it is also suitable for students with different learning abilities. Part of the Kumon principle is to nurture the joy of learning, cultivate avid readers, teach by ability instead of age, and develop life skills and achieve academic excellence.
Top Singapore Large Local Enterprises in Tuition Centre
MindChamps Holdings Pte. Limited
Repeated as per client
Mind Stretcher Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Mind Stretcher, which was founded in 2002, offers programmes for pre-school, primary and secondary students at 24 centres across Singapore. Subjects taught include English, math, science, creative writing, Chinese and GEP. The centre aims to stretch students' academic abilities while retaining their love for learning. It is the host of brands such as Xue Hui Le that infuses the love of the Chinese language and immerses students in a captivating Chinese linguistic experience, as well as Ms Junior Campus, a pre-school programme that is based on the four pillars of public speaking, character development, literacy and critical thinking.
The Learning Lab Education Centre Pte Ltd
The Learning Lab Education Centre was founded in Singapore in 2001, with a desire to develop confident and successful learners who are empowered beyond the classroom. Fun and interactive lessons are offered from pre-school to pre-tertiary by passionate teachers in a unique classroom experience. Programmes offered include pre-school, lower and upper primary, secondary, junior college and holiday programmes. The Learning Lab offers online classes for real-time virtual learning and is relevant to the school syllabus, nurtures the students’ curiosity to learn, hones their exam skills and performance, and addresses the changing exam format trends.
Top Singapore SMEs in Tuition Centre
Mavis Tutorial Centre Pte. Ltd.
Mavis Tutorial Centre was established in 1986. Offering quality learning to students from pre-school to A-Levels, the centre provides fun and engaging learning opportunities. With 15 centres established across Singapore, Mavis Tutorial Centre focuses on four subjects: English, math, science and Chinese. It offers enrichment courses for students in pre-school and helps students build skills, disposition and an academic foundation. The centre identifies students' weaknesses, promotes critical thinking, engages in hands-on learning, builds application skills and adapts with changing exam formats.
The Physics Cafe Pte. Ltd.
The Physics Cafe, which was established in 2009, is a tuition centre that specializes in math and physics. With four branches across Singapore to date, it offers a shuttle service to its tuition centres. Boasting an average of 80% of its students consistently scoring an 'A' grade, The Physics Cafe specializes in Lower Secondary Science, JC Physics, Secondary Physics, IP Physics, JC Math, IP Math and Secondary Math tuition. It currently offers Integrated Math at the secondary level and H2 Math at JC level. The Physics Cafe believes in teaching its students problem-solving skills, enabling them to understand and apply concepts better.
SmileTutor Pte. Ltd.
SmileTutor is a tuition agency in Singapore that offers home tutors. It promises affordable tuition rates, coordinators, and over 50,000 tutors to choose from. SmileTutor, which does not charge agency fees, caters to all subject levels: primary, secondary, JC, IB, IP, IGCSE and university. Subjects are offered in English, phonics, Chinese, GP, Malay, Tamil and Hindi, while examinations covered include PSLE, O-Level, N-Level, A-Level, AEIS, GRE, GMAT, SAT and IELTS. The range of science subjects includes science, physics, chemistry, biology, math and special needs, while humanities covers history, geography, social studies, literature, POA and economics.
Stag Match Private Limited
Stag Match is a registered education business that was founded in 2001. Stag Match Education and Training Group have four brands: Stag Match Tuition Centre, Enrichment Centre, Student Care Centre and Training Centre for Adults. Working in line with the Singapore education system, Stag Match focuses on building students' analytical skills and creative thinking. It also offers robotics and coding, World Robotics Standards and EduTech. Since it was established over two decades ago, Stag Match has been conferred the Best in Singapore Award, as well as being recognized as one of the Top 3 Tuition Centres in Sengkang.
Aspire Hub Education Academy Pte. Ltd.
Aspire Hub Education Academy was founded in 2001, and currently operates 16 branches across Singapore. Programmes offered by the academy include lower primary, upper primary, lower secondary, upper secondary, JC, Chinese, workshops and holiday programmes. The academy aims to coach, not teach, and has more than 90 full-time teachers and 20 staff members who coach students to overcome barriers as well as motivating them. The academy offers English, Math and Science for Primary, StrengthsFinder Programme for Secondary, as well as Biology, Chemistry, Physics and General Paper lectures for JC, in addition to other subjects and Chinese classes from Pre-primary toPrimary 6.
AGrader Learning Centre Pte. Ltd.
AGrader Learning Centre commenced operations in 2013 and currently maintains 16 branches across Singapore. With online, onsite and hybrid options provided, AGrader offers programmes for P1 Preparatory, Primary and Secondary, as well as P4 and P5 Booster programmes, covering English, math, science and creative writing. AGrader Learning claims to be the only tuition centre that provides the EverLoop Improvement System, which allows students to attend as many extra revisions as needed to revise and improve, even from the comfort of their homes. Additionally, students are granted access to extra learning resources from up to three previous levels, including worksheets, learning videos and exam-oriented questions.
MaxiMind Eduhub Pte. Ltd.
MaxiMind Eduhub is an MOE-registered tuition centre which provides lessons for primary, secondary and JC students. MaxiMind offers subjects such as English, Chinese, math and science for primary level students, and biology, chemistry, physics and the combined sciences for secondary level students, as well as General Paper classes for students at JC level. MaxiMind also offers classes for IGCSE math and physics, and helps with school-related projects. The academic centre also conducts holiday programmes and enrichment workshops. It has been honoured with a number of accolades, including being recognised by The Excelligent magazine as one of The 10 Best Coaching Centers in Singapore in 2021.
Indigo Education Centre Pte. Ltd.
Indigo Education Centre is a premier education centre which was established in 2011, and currently operates seven centres across Singapore. It specializes in JC, Secondary IP and express tuition classes. The centre offers quality learning material, an exam-oriented curriculum, termly assessments, and passionate teachers who help students to build academic as well as soft skills, assisting them in admission to elite international universities. Among the subjects offered by Indigo Education Centre are English, science, math, economics (H1 and H2), chemistry (H1 and H2), biology, physics, geography and General Paper.
Our Learning Loft (Private Ltd.)
Our Learning Loft is a tuition centre that provides a curated curriculum for Primary PSLE, O-Level and Integrated programmes with MOE-certified educators. With the objective of designing teaching methods to suit students’ abilities, the academic centre offers small group classes, specialised programmes, curated materials, dynamic teaching methods, qualified and caring teachers, and in-house quizzes every semester to assess students' progress. It offers programmes for English, math, science and chemistry for primary, lower secondary, upper secondary and integrated programmes. Our Learning Loft has won recognition by being featured in Best in Singapore, and being awarded Top in Singapore, reviewed by MediaOne.
Making Sense Tuition Centre Pte. Ltd.
Making Sense is a tuition centre in Singapore that specializes in chemistry tuition for O-Level and A-Level students. Founded in 2011, the centre caters to students from Secondary 1 and 2, to A-Level chemistry. Staying relevant to the current syllabus and offering strong after-class support, tutors design pre-lesson interactive videos, teaching aids, flashcards, and game-like quizzes and assessments. Making Sense offers customized learning styles such as student-led lessons in small groups of up to eight students for personalized learning, or structured classes for those who thrive in a classroom setting. The centre was featured on Channel NewsAsia as the Best Chemistry Tuition in Singapore.
Top Singapore Fastest-Growing Companies in Tuition Centres
Indigo Education Centre Pte. Ltd.
Indigo Education Centre is a premier education centre which was established in 2011, and currently operates seven centres across Singapore. It specializes in JC, Secondary IP and express tuition classes. The centre offers quality learning material, an exam-oriented curriculum, termly assessments, and passionate teachers who help students to build academic as well as soft skills, assisting them in admission to elite international universities. Among the subjects offered by Indigo Education Centre are English, science, math, economics (H1 and H2), chemistry (H1 and H2), biology, physics, geography and General Paper.
