S’pore needs criminal history checks for those working with kids

SINGAPORE – The education sector is highly regulated but there is vulnerability in the informal education market, where criminal history checks are not mandatory.

Freelance tutors, volunteers, coaches and private teachers in centres with fewer than 10 students operate outside the strict registration requirements mandated by the Education Act.

This is unlike public and large private institutions, which have to receive official Ministry of Education (MOE) registration for staff members, a process which includes criminal history checks.

The regulatory gap means former teachers who have been convicted of sex offences related to young people and other criminal offences where children have been harmed can, after they have served their sentence, pivot to home-tutoring.

Parents may be able to compel a tutor to produce a Certificate of Clearance from the Singapore Police Force.

In Singapore, citizens can apply online for the document, which is issued by the Criminal Investigation Department to certify that the applicant holds no criminal records in Singapore within a specific time period.

But this document encompasses all crime, not just those where children were involved.

The need to address the regulatory gap comes in the wake of recent court cases in which eight former teachers were convicted or charged in 2026 over sexual offences involving minors.

On July 24, a now 70-year-old man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting 11 young girls, including four children who attended an enrichment centre he helped run or who were tutored in his home.

Just one day earlier, a 41-year-old man was sentenced to two years’ jail for performing indecent acts with a child while working as a teacher in a secondary school, and for sexual grooming. The student was only 13 when he first made his move.

That same day, a 45-year-old PE teacher was convicted of committing sexual offences against a student when she was between 14 and 15 years old.

There have been similar convictions in the private education sphere.

In 2025, private tutor Michael Martin Lee Teck Heng was sentenced to four years and nine months’ jail after pleading guilty to various charges, including molestation and making obscene films.

Private drum instructor Justin Lu Zhao En was jailed for 3½ years and sentenced to six strokes of the cane in 2023 after pleading guilty to offences including two counts of molesting a person under 14.

That same year, a 35-year-old part-time religious teacher, who was HIV-positive, committed sexual offences against four boys.

The man was never registered under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme, which meant he was not authorised to offer any form of religious instruction or guidance in Singapore.

There is an opportunity to learn from processes other jurisdictions apply to protect children.

For example, the Working with Children Check certification is mandatory in Australia. It evaluates a person’s criminal history, pending charges and professional conduct to protect children from harm.

Applicants who fail to obtain certification may not be allowed to apply for jobs that involve children or minors, or for roles that include voluntary positions such as the football coach of a neighbourhood team.

In Britain, the Disclosure and Barring Service maintains a list of individuals who are deemed unsuitable to work or volunteer with children.

The agency also makes decisions on whether an individual needs to be on the list.

Unlike the scheme in Australia, the child sex offender disclosure scheme in England and Wales allows members of the public to ask the police if someone with access to a child has a record of child sexual offences.

The police can reveal details to parents, caretakers or guardians if they think it is in the child’s interest.

A similar certification in Singapore is needed for freelance tutors, volunteers, coaches and private teachers in centres with fewer than 10 students.

For example, it should be compulsory for small tuition agencies to verify not just qualifications and identity, but also criminal records. This should be done before the agencies can recommend private tutors.

Teachers registered with MOE are subject to background checks.

The checks include screening applicants for past criminal records with the police, conducting reference checks with their previous employers or referees, and performing credit screening for those applying for finance-related positions.

MOE typically suspends teaching and non-teaching staff at the point of discovery of a criminal offence. They are dismissed entirely from service after they are convicted.

The ministry does not hire anyone who has committed criminal offences of a nature that would affect their suitability to be an educator.

The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) applies a similar background check process.

Under the Private Education Act, teachers looking to be employed at private education institutions (PEIs) must meet certain requirements, which include having the appropriate qualifications and a clean criminal record.

PEIs are required to show documentation during routine checks by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to show that they have carried out due diligence in screening the teachers before they are deployed.

SSG can direct PEIs to remove those found to have been convicted of any offence involving sexual, children and minors, physical or drug abuse, or fraud and dishonesty.

Due diligence

There are currently more than 800 MOE-registered tuition and enrichment centres in Singapore. There are no clear figures available that reveal the number of tutors or centres with fewer than 10 students.

In a 2021 written reply to Parliament, MOE said parents should exercise “discretion and due diligence” in engaging the services of tuition and enrichment centres, as well as individual tutors.

A Working with Children Check procedure in Singapore could help parents in this regard.

In 2021, Pioneer MP Patrick Tay asked in Parliament if MOE had mechanisms to ensure that those working as private tutors or in tuition agencies do not have criminal records of sexual offences or violent crimes.

Then Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said that regulations do not cover freelance tutors who offer private tuition outside of centres, for example, in homes, or agencies that provide matching services between private tutors and students.

But he added that the Government was reviewing whether to make it mandatory for persons employed in sectors working with children to be screened for serious offences, including sexual offences.

A Working with Children Check can be an important tool for parents to utilise to protect children who may not be able to protect themselves.

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