Work together to end education arms race

Tuition has become a way of life for most Singaporeans. More worryingly, it has evolved from a way to help academically weaker pupils to a way for parents to have their children “one-up” their peers.

And so, children who are doing well in school are being sent to extra classes to do even better, at the expense of more holistic development.

When Senior Minister of State (Education) Indranee Rajah said tuition was not necessary, as reported in “MPs call for closer look at private tuition industry” (Sept 17), many Singaporean parents felt that while the statement could be true, it was not reflective of their realities.

However, I think she has put in place an important aspiration for the Education Ministry, parents and even tuition centres to work towards.

Each party has an important role to play, and perhaps Ms Indranee could help kick-start the discussions and collaborations that are needed to make her statement a reality. All parties involved must work together to end this education arms race.

Otherwise, it will become a race to the bottom, negatively impacting our younger generation and thus Singapore in the long run.