{"id":89391,"date":"2026-10-01T17:19:02","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T09:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=89391"},"modified":"2026-10-01T17:19:02","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T09:19:02","slug":"cost-of-singapores-education-arms-race-mortgages-and-tuition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=89391","title":{"rendered":"Cost of Singapore&#8217;s education arms race: Mortgages and tuition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"text-primary article-summary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Parents have long complained that the education system in Singapore is too stressful for children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">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.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"responsive-iframe-base podcast aspect-landscape podcast-embed\" title=\"podcast embed\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/omny.fm\/shows\/the-usual-place\/8000-mortgages-and-double-tuition-for-the-same-subject-the-cost-of-singapore-s-education-arms-race\/embed\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"accelerometer;falseclipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;\" loading=\"eager\" height=\"180\" data-testid=\"responsiveIframe\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">But have these measures worked?<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">A recent survey by the <!-- -->Institute of Policy Studies<!-- --> showed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/parenting-education\/spore-parents-spending-more-on-tuition-and-enrichment-peer-pressure-cited-as-reason-survey?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">that parents are more stressed than 10 years ago,<\/span><\/a> and they are spending more on tuition and enrichment classes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The Straits Times also reported that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/parenting-education\/should-we-move-houses-property-agents-step-in-as-parents-plan-for-primary-1?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">some property agents now explicitly market themselves as Primary 1 strategists or consultants,<\/span><\/a> and advise clients to plan ahead so their children can get into the school of their choice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">If the system has been easing up, what\u2019s driving parents to continue taking part in the education arms race? And are the tuition and property industries capitalising on their anxiety?<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">In this episode, I chat with:<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-list-container\" data-testid=\"bulleted-article-list-test-id\">\n<ul class=\"pl-22 list-disc article-list-wrapper\">\n<li class=\"article-list-item list-item\" data-testid=\"bulleted-article-list-item-test-id\">\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Jacqueline Ho, assistant professor of sociology at Singapore Management University, who researches the Singaporean education system, and<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"article-list-item list-item\" data-testid=\"bulleted-article-list-item-test-id\">\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Prab Nathan, a property agent and former school teacher, as well as a father of two. His <!-- -->elder<!-- --> daughter will be in Primary <!-- -->1 in 2027<!-- -->.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Highlights (click\/tap above):<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">3:46 Are property agents feeding parents\u2019 anxiety?<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">9:18 Is it smart to move for a school?<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">11:45 School status should not be a priority: Prab<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">25:42 Why parents get FOMO over extra tuition<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">28:30 Are parents who send their kids for tuition really kiasu?<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">34:00 Is being a \u201crelaxed parent\u201d a luxury?<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">43:39 What\u2019s wrong with having a shadow education system?<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">49:50 Parents strategise to cope with inequality<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Read Natasha\u2019s articles: <a href=\"https:\/\/str.sg\/iSXm?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">https:\/\/str.sg\/iSXm<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: <a href=\"https:\/\/str.sg\/8KNT?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">https:\/\/str.sg\/8KNT<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: <a href=\"https:\/\/str.sg\/v6DN?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">https:\/\/str.sg\/v6DN<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Filmed by: Studio+65<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Edited by: Eden Soh and Yang Jiesan Cruz<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Executive producer: Danson Cheong<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law and Zachary Lim<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Channel: <a href=\"https:\/\/str.sg\/5nfm?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">https:\/\/str.sg\/5nfm<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Apple Podcasts: <a href=\"https:\/\/str.sg\/9ijX?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">https:\/\/str.sg\/9ijX<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Spotify: <a href=\"https:\/\/str.sg\/cd2P?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline 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channels:<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: <a href=\"https:\/\/str.sg\/wvz7?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">https:\/\/str.sg\/wvz7<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Get more updates: <a href=\"http:\/\/str.sg\/stpodcasts?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">http:\/\/str.sg\/stpodcasts<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">&#8212;<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The App Store: <a href=\"https:\/\/str.sg\/icyB?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">https:\/\/str.sg\/icyB<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Google Play: <a href=\"https:\/\/str.sg\/icyX?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">https:\/\/str.sg\/icyX<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/8000-mortgages-and-double-tuition-for-same-subject-the-cost-of-singapores-education-arms-race\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=89391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/89392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=89391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=89391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=89391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}