MOE partners with ad industry to curb fear-based tactics in tuition sector

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The Ministry of Education (MOE) of Singapore is reportedly working with the advertising industry to implement a code of conduct to curb fear-based advertising tactics in tuition centres.

According to CNA, Chan Chun Sing, minister for education called out some tuition centres for guilt-tripping parents and creating a "fear of missing out".

He commented on tuition centres that allow specific students to be admitted, increasing success rates and boosting the centres' image, stating that the practice is unethical. Chan noted that parents should feel assured about their own decisions with regards to their children and not give in to external pressures.

Meanwhile, Bryan Tan, chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) reportedly confirmed that the authority met with the ministry to deliberate about advertising self-regulation and potential guidelines specific to the sector.

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MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to ASAS for more information.

The recent talks came following a parliament hearing last week, where Liang Eng Hwa, member of parliament said he was "very troubled" to see staff from a tuition centre distributing flyers to parents outside a primary school on the first day of the school earlier this year.

"We do not want to create such unnecessary competition on day one, as well as stress on our parents and students on day one of primary one," he added.

He asked if MOE would implement any "standing instructions" to advise tuition centres not to promote their services outside of schools, particularly on the first day of school for primary students.

In response, Gan Siow Huang, minister of state for education said the ministry has observed some tuition centres employing "undesirable advertising practices" that appeal to parents' anxieties. She noted that MOE does not support such practices.

“We think that it unduly induces parents to sign up their children for tuition and that is not healthy. Our schools certainly do not support such practices,” she said. “We are studying how we could discourage tuition centres from doing this. We are reviewing our process.”

In fact, private tuition has played a huge role in families in Singapore. According to the Household Expenditure Survey 2023 conducted by the Department of Statistics (DOS), families in Singapore spent SG$1.8 billion on private tuition for their children in 2023.

Released in late 2024, the latest statistics revealed the increase in expenditure on education from SG$374 in 2017/18 to SG$404 in 2023, due to higher spending on pre-primary education and private tuition. The amount spent on tuition, including lessons conducted at home or at centres, has surged over the years, from SG$1.1 billion in 2013 to SG$1.4 billion in 2018. On average, families spent SG$104.80 each month on tuition in 2023, marking a significant increase from SG$88.4 in 2018.

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