Sep 24, 2011 - ST Forum
THE cost comparison in Sunday's article ('More expats opting for
local schools'), which comes out attractively in favour of local
schools, may be misleading.
While the article mentioned tuition in passing, it failed to
quantify it and give an estimate of the total cost (school fees
plus extra tuition) for a child to keep up and succeed in the local
primary school system.
Based on my experience and our family's interactions with other
families here, Singapore families who are at or above middle-income
levels - comparable to those of the expatriate families highlighted
in the article - could be spending $2,000 to $3,000 monthly on
tuition expenses for their primary school children in the core
Primary School Leaving Examination subjects English, Science,
Mathematics and Mother Tongue.
The large classrooms where a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:40 is
common and the unrelenting pressure of examinations in local
schools force parents to resort to private tuition to ensure that
their children can cope and succeed.
Parents of expatriate children who attend quality international
schools at the primary school level do not resort to extra tuition
in the core subjects for their children.
If a more in-depth comparison of costs is made, expatriate
parents who want their child to keep up and succeed in the local
primary education system could be budgeting approximately $24,000
to $36,000 annually per child - which is no different, and in some
cases higher, than the cost of the international schools quoted in
the article.
Obviously, there will always be naturally gifted exceptions who
should not figure in the comparison.
Daniel Sadhu
