Private tuition in Singapore is no longer just an educational supplement. It has become a major industry that continues to grow, year after year.
According to a recent government survey by the Singapore Department of Statistics, families in Singapore spent a total of SGD 1.8 billion (USD 1.3 billion) on private tuition in 2023.
This marks a 29% increase from 2018 and a 64% jump from 2013.
Back in 2008, the figure was SGD 680 million. It rose to SGD 1.1 billion in 2013, then to SGD 1.4 billion in 2018. Now, with the 2023 figure reaching SGD 1.8 billion, the growth has been steady and steep.
If this upward trend continues, tuition spending in Singapore could surpass SGD 2.14 billion by 2025, based on a projected increase of 19 percent over two years.
How Much Are Families Paying?
The survey shows that the average monthly tuition spending per household was SGD 104.80 in 2023, up from SGD 88.04 in 2018.
However, spending varies significantly depending on income levels. Families in the top 20 percent income bracket spent an average of SGD 162.60 per month, while households in the bottom 20 percent spent just SGD 36.30 per month.
This means wealthier families are spending more than four times as much on private tuition as those in the lowest income group.
This gap raises concerns about educational inequality and the long-term impact of uneven access to academic support.
Moreover, the tuition expenditure is not limited to academic subjects. Many families also invest in enrichment programs like coding bootcamps, public speaking workshops, and STEM-based learning sessions.
These programs, though valuable, come with hefty price tags, further stretching household budgets.
What Is Driving the Surge?
Although the Ministry of Education has made considerable efforts to decentralise scholastic pressure and promote a more holistic approach to education, the demand for private tuition in Singapore remains remarkably resilient.
Initiatives such as reducing weighted assessments in lower primary levels and shifting the focus towards character development, critical thinking, and lifelong learning have been rolled out in recent years.
However, these policy adjustments have done little to curb the deeply entrenched culture of tuition.
Associate Professor Jason Tan from the National Institute of Education observed that while Singapore’s education system is indeed shifting towards greater personalisation and flexibility, the cultural obsession with academic achievement remains firmly in place.
According to him, many parents continue to equate good grades with future success, and therefore, private tuition is seen as an essential investment rather than a supplementary one.
As a result, families across income levels continue to channel significant resources into tuition, hoping to give their children a competitive edge in an already high-performing academic environment.
The competitive mindset, once primarily focused on core academic subjects such as mathematics, science, and languages, has now extended to enrichment activities, including the arts, music, and sports.
Whether it is preparing for direct school admission through arts portfolios or striving to secure a place in elite programs, children are now expected to perform across a broad spectrum of competencies.
This has led to the proliferation of specialised tuition and enrichment centres catering to almost every conceivable area of development.
Education in the Context of Household Spending
The significance of education spending is further underscored by findings from recent household expenditure surveys. While housing, food, and transportation continue to dominate monthly household budgets—together accounting for around two-thirds of total spending—education trails just behind.
This suggests that, for many families, education is not merely another category of discretionary spending. Rather, it holds a place of near-equal importance to life’s basic necessities.
In this context, private tuition is not seen as a luxury, but a necessity—an unspoken prerequisite to keeping up in the competitive race.
For lower- and middle-income families, this often means making difficult trade-offs in other areas of spending to afford tuition fees.
In some cases, parents take on additional jobs, reduce leisure spending, or forgo personal savings just to finance tuition fees.
This level of sacrifice reflects the high stakes of academic success in Singapore, where education is often viewed as the most reliable ladder to social mobility.
Even for families that can afford it, the emotional and financial strain can be immense. Children may also feel the burden of expectations, leading to stress, anxiety, and burnout.
This raises important questions about the sustainability of such spending patterns, not just financially, but emotionally and socially.
Looking Ahead to 2025
Based on current growth patterns, Singaporean families may collectively spend over SGD 2.14 billion on private tuition by the end of 2025 if the trend continues at a similar rate.
While this figure reflects the growing emphasis placed on educational outcomes, it also raises concerns about the widening socioeconomic divide.
Families with higher incomes are better positioned to afford premium tutoring services, further entrenching their children’s advantage in academic and extracurricular pursuits.
Meanwhile, those from less privileged backgrounds may struggle to keep up, despite having equally bright and capable children.
This growing disparity prompts an important question about the future of education in Singapore: Can this level of private tuition expenditure be sustained in the long term? And more importantly, is it equitable?
One potential solution lies in technology-enabled platforms. AI-based tutoring, for example, could offer personalised learning experiences at a fraction of the cost of traditional tuition.
Such innovations have the potential to democratise access to academic support—bridging, rather than widening, the gap.
However, the adoption and effectiveness of these tools remain uncertain. High-end, in-person services still dominate the market, and many parents may continue to perceive them as more reliable or prestigious.
As the education landscape evolves, the challenge will be to ensure that the pursuit of excellence does not come at the expense of equality.
Policymakers, educators, and parents alike must consider not just how much we spend on education, but who is truly benefitting from it.
Final Thoughts
Singapore’s market for tuition speaks volumes about how much education is prized by families. But as tuition fees rise, it illustrates an ugly truth.
For other families, the need to keep up may be unsustainable. For others, it vindicates an edge that goes a long way beyond the schoolroom.
With education reform focusing on fairness and well-being, the challenge is to strike a balance between aspiration and access.
While private tuition remains an increasingly popular but unevenly distributed solution, the real cost might not only be measured in dollars, but in terms of opportunity.
If you struggle with financing tuition fees, consider short-term lending options with loan matching platforms such as ROSHI.
Let us hope that the new phase of education in Singapore would be one with support to all, regardless of origin.
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