Jamus Lim on why he proposed smaller class sizes

In a recent speech during the Ministry of Education Committee of Supply debate, he proposed that Singapore consider smaller class sizes in certain subjects, especially mathematics and languages.

He elaborated on this in an article he wrote in Zaobao. He gave an English version of the article in his Facebook post.

He stated that the average class size in Singapore is 33 students, with some pushing 40. In comparison, the average class size in industrialised economies is 20, and in other East Asian countries 25.

While Singapore’s education system is placed amongst the top in the world, the MP felt that this was more attributed to supplementary education rather than formal education.

In 2018 alone, the market for private tuition amounted to $1.4 billion. Households spend around $112 every month on supplementary education expenses, more than what they spend on clothing and air travel, and about a quarter of what they spend on housing, Prof Lim noted.

“Singaporean families feel compelled to send their children for tuition, not because they are searching for the extra edge, but just so that they do not fall behind,” he wrote.

“Think about it: if it was only because of our kiasu attitude, why do we not see widespread tuition in subjects like geography, history, and literature? After all, these subjects count toward the student’s final grade as well,’ he argued.

“In a recent letter to Zaobao, Lim Boon Keng suggests that I downplay the contributions of our teachers, by suggesting that tuition explains our educational outcomes. In his response in Parliament, Education Minister Lawrence Wong actually made a similar claim,” he noted in his Facebook post.