Inside Singapore's education 'arms race'

Stress, inequality and the push for change

- Gabrielle Chan Ng Wei Kai Correspondent

It felt like the start of a high-stakes contest for Mr Harry Lee when his son Gabriel entered Primary 1 in 2022.

Gabriel was an SG50 baby, referring to those born in 2015 when Singapore celebrated its 50th year of independence. More than 37,000 babies were born that year - the highest number recorded between 2015 and 2024 - possibly resulting in greater competition for school places.

The registration process has several stages, with the earlier ones reserved for children with siblings in the school or parents who are alumni. These were not options for Gabriel.

So Mr Lee aimed for Phase 2B, which gives priority to children whose parents have volunteered at the school. They were hoping to enter a popular school in Hougang where the family lives because of its academic reputation and emphasis on values.

"Every day that we were on traffic warden duty counted as 45 minutes to these 40 hours, and we went once a week for 40 weeks," said Mr Lee, who clocked his time mostly in the morning before work. Parents were required to fulfil at least 40 hours to be considered a parent volunteer. "The school did not guarantee us a spot, they told us it is not confirmed."

"That year was very stressful for us," said Mr Lee, 44, an actuary at an insurance company.

Gabriel eventually entered the school through Phase 2B. While Mr Lee acknowledged that competition exists in every education system, he felt much of the stress stems from uncertainty.

Clearer indicators of a child's likelihood of getting a place beyond historical balloting data would help parents better gauge their odds in the current year, he said.

His experience is one of several pain points that parents face when navigating Singapore's education system.