$8,000 mortgages and double tuition for same subject: the cost of Singapore’s education arms race

The Usual Place Podcast

What’s driving parents to continue taking part in the education “arms race”?

Natasha Ann Zachariah

Published Oct 01, 2026, 02:20 PM

Updated Oct 01, 2026, 02:20 PM

Parents have long complained that the education system in Singapore is too stressful for children.

To address their concerns, the Ministry of Education has made policy changes over the years, including scrapping PSLE T-scores and removing weighted assessments and examinations at certain levels.

But have these measures worked?

A recent survey by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) showed that parents are more stressed than 10 years ago, and they are spending more on tuition and enrichment classes.

The Straits Times also reported that some property agents now explicitly market themselves as Primary 1 strategists or consultants, and advise their clients to plan ahead so their children can get into the school of their choice.

If the system has been easing up, what’s driving parents to continue taking part in the education “arms race”? And are the tuition and property industries capitalising on their anxiety?

In this episode, I chat with:

Jacqueline Ho, assistant professor of sociology at the Singapore Management University, who researches the Singaporean education system, and

Prab Nathan, a property agent and former school teacher, and a father of two. His eldest daughter will be in Primary One next year.

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Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh and Yang Jiesan Cruz

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law and Zachary Lim

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Education and schools

Primary 1 registration

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老地方播客

是什么驱使家长们继续参与这场教育“军备竞赛”？

娜塔莎·安·扎卡里亚

发布于2026年10月1日下午2:20

更新于2026年10月1日下午2:20

家长们长期以来一直抱怨新加坡的教育体系给孩子带来了太大的压力。

为了解决他们的担忧，教育部多年来做出了一系列政策调整，包括取消小学离校考试 (PSLE) 的 T 分数，以及取消某些级别的加权评估和考试。

但这些措施奏效了吗？

政策研究所 (IPS) 最近的一项调查显示，与 10 年前相比，家长们的压力更大，他们在补习班和课外辅导班上的花费也更多。

《海峡时报》还报道说，一些房地产经纪人现在明确地将自己定位为小学一年级策略师或顾问，并建议他们的客户提前规划，以便他们的孩子能够进入他们选择的学校。

如果教育体系已经有所放松，是什么驱使家长们继续参与这场教育“军备竞赛”？而教育培训和房地产行业是否正在利用他们的焦虑情绪牟利？

在本期节目中，我将与以下嘉宾进行对话：

何嘉琳，新加坡管理大学社会学助理教授，研究新加坡教育体系；

普拉布·内森是一名房地产经纪人，也是一名退休教师，育有两个孩子。他的大女儿明年将上小学一年级。

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拍摄：Studio+65

编辑：Eden Soh 和 Yang Jiesan Cruz

执行制片人：张丹森

制片人：娜塔莎·安·扎卡里亚、伊丽莎白·劳和扎卡里·林

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