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SINGAPORE: Enrichment centres in Singapore are grappling with rising operating costs, even as they see strong demand this holiday season.<\/p>\n
Some centres told CNA that rather than passing these costs to parents, they are absorbing them, optimising resources and rolling out new ideas to keep fees steady amid tough competition.<\/p>\n
Among such learning academies is the School of Robotics, which offers robotics and coding classes for students aged four to 16 in small class settings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
At this time of the year, its three outlets are typically bustling with activities during holiday camps, led by Ministry of Education-registered instructors.<\/p>\n
The centre\u00a0recently\u00a0debuted new programming and artificial intelligence-related courses, which have seen high demand among parents looking to\u00a0enroll\u00a0their children.<\/p>\n
However, these additions have resulted in\u00a0significantly higher material costs compared with two years ago, said centre manager Poon Wai Chung.<\/p>\n
“There’s been almost an increase of 30 per cent when it comes to buying the electronics, hardware, equipment that’s required for the classes,\u201d he told CNA.<\/p>\n
On a more positive note, he added, the school\u2019s landlord has kept rental prices largely steady.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n