Why Asian parents are trapped in a private tuition arms race
Por Kolette Lim — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Singapore This Week in Asia People Why Asian parents are trapped in a private tuition arms race
From Singapore to South Korea, fear of falling behind fuels a costly cycle of extra lessons despite the toll it takes on children
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Kolette Lim in Singapore Published: 4:23pm, 9 Oct 2026 Updated: 4:25pm, 9 Oct 2026
Grace often hears other Singapore mothers debating how much private tuition their children need. Some rush to enrol their offspring in multiple classes before they turn five, while others try to resist the pressure to add lessons outside school.
She enrolled her two children, now aged four and seven, in Chinese tuition when they were three to give them greater exposure to their ancestral tongue.
“Neither of their parents speaks fluent Mandarin at home … I guess there is some degree of pressure involved too,” said Grace, 38, the founder of a creative agency.
Her dilemma reflects a wider tension across Asia, where parents continue to invest in private tuition to give their children an academic edge, despite growing concerns over the stress placed on young learners and the widening gap between families who can afford extra classes and those who cannot.
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