Photo credit: The Straits Times, The Usual Place Podcast YouTube
On The Straits Times’ The Usual Place podcast, SMU Assistant Professor of Sociology Jacqueline Ho said anxiety over Primary 1 registrations has not dissipated because many parents grew up in an unequal, hierarchical system that left them out of certain educational opportunities. Asst Prof Ho suggested a more centralised system that considers parental choice, proximity and demographic diversity. She explained that motivations around getting tuition are complex, as parents seek to help children gain confidence and preserve happy relationships. However, shadow education makes access to educational goods more dependent on purchasing power, contributing to inequality. She added that anxiety about living in an unequal world and trying to maximise their life chances is layered with the system that allows or compels the parents to participate. Asst Prof Ho noted that this gives the parents the illusion of control that they can shape their children’s future. She stressed the importance of recognising differences between schools, taking parents’ concerns seriously and considering how to even things out, rather than dismissing them as being too kiasu.
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