Skip to main content
Best News Website or Mobile Service
WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2022
Best News Website or Mobile Service
Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2022
Hamburger Menu
Advertisement
Advertisement

Commentary

Commentary: My kids survived PSLE with no tuition, but how much longer can they go without it?

As her children embark on secondary school, mum writer Vivian Teo wonders if signing them up for tuition classes will soon become inevitable.

Commentary: My kids survived PSLE with no tuition, but how much longer can they go without it?

The word "tuition" has a negative connotation in Singapore, bringing to mind parents forcing their kids to hit the books. (Photo: iStock/paylessimages)

New: You can now listen to articles.

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

SINGAPORE: 2025 marks the year when I no longer have children in primary school. This year, my youngest starts Secondary 1, joining her elder sister who is in Secondary 3 in the same school.

In the years leading to their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), people were often surprised to learn that my daughters did not have tuition.

"No tuition? Can they do well in the PSLE without it?" they would ask.

Both my girls did well enough to get their first choices in their secondary school postings. However, as I embark on this secondary school journey with my girls, I wonder if the tuition route might soon become inevitable.

SUCCUMBING TO PRESSURE

It hasn’t always been tuition-free in our household. Before my elder girl started Primary 1, one of her kindergarten coaches offered primary school preparation tuition (yes, there’s such a thing). I succumbed to kiasu-ness and signed her up.

The tuition continued till she was in Primary 2. She did consistently well in school up to that point, but I wasn’t entirely sure if it was because of the tuition. She didn’t seem happy about going for after-school lessons either.

One day, my daughter did a mental calculation faster than I did at a grocery store, which was a wake-up call that she didn’t need those extra math practices. That was when I decided to stop her tuition. She continued to excel without tuition, though she did receive the occasional guidance from me and my husband.

It was a slightly different story with my younger daughter, who is not as academically inclined as her sister. My husband and I spent more time coaching her and went through many more assessment books.

SECONDARY SCHOOL A NEW BALLGAME

Two years into secondary school, my elder girl still does not have tuition and continues to do well in school. But as she starts year three, we are all a little wary, knowing that subjects get tougher from here. In fact, a senior remarked to her, “You will fail Additional Math when you first start on it.”

We still help with the occasional math question and give some pointers for Chinese compositions, but the truth is that the secondary school syllabus is almost beyond us.

As for my younger girl, it remains to be seen if she can cope as well as her sister in Secondary 1. We’re still hoping to avoid tuition in secondary school, but we’ve assured our girls that if they need help - and their mum and dad are no longer able to provide it - we can always sign them up for tuition.

My girls baulked at the idea because, in their minds, tuition is synonymous with extra lessons outside of their already long school hours. Indeed, the word “tuition” has a negative connotation in Singapore – it brings to mind parents forcing their children to hit the books because other parents are doing it too.

But I reminded my daughters that the purpose of tuition isn’t about giving them more work or setting a high bar for them in school. It’s about getting help if they need it.

TUITION, BUT AT WHAT COST?

My husband and I are not tiger parents. We have never pressured our children to score AL1 in primary school, nor have we insisted that they must get into top secondary schools. However, we know friends whose children are performing well academically but still attend tuition to ensure they can enter prestigious schools.

There are times when I wonder if my husband and I are too lax with our children. If we do not push them to their maximum potential, are we failing as parents? With even more drilling, more practices, more work, perhaps my younger daughter could have joined her sister in the integrated programme at their secondary school. But then I ask myself, at what cost?

My elder girl once told me about a classmate in primary school who broke down after scoring 95 out of 100 on a test. Her classmate said she would get a swipe of the cane from her parents for every mark she lost. It saddened me deeply when I heard about it.

I do not wish for my children to live under such pressure and fear – they only have one childhood. When my children are grown, I hope they look back at their childhood with fondness, remembering it as a time filled with love, where they had the freedom to play and pursue their interests, rather than one overshadowed by stress and tuition.

If your child is already doing well in school, there isn’t a need to succumb to peer pressure and enrol them in tuition. However, if they need extra help and you can’t provide it anymore, then tuition may be an option. Ultimately, we want our kids to know that they don’t need to struggle on their own, and that we are there to find a solution.

As parents, we often find ourselves walking a tightrope between pushing our children to achieve their best and allowing them the freedom to enjoy their childhood. The journey through Singapore’s education system has its challenges, but it’s also a time for growth, learning and bonding.

With or without tuition, what truly matters is the support, love, and encouragement we give our children. It shouldn’t just be about the grades they achieve, but the resilient, confident, and compassionate individuals we want them to become.

Vivian Teo is a freelance writer, children’s book author and owner of a parenting and lifestyle blog.

Source: CNA/el
Advertisement

Also worth reading

Advertisement