Beyond tuition: Centres offer students free theme park trips, bubble tea, ice cream and more
SINGAPORE – Who wants free bubble tea, ice cream and croissants?
How about bowling, movie outings and theme park trips? Yes, these are on the house as well.
Students at some tuition centres have been enjoying such treats, a reminder that while they work hard, they deserve to play hard too.
In February, Zenith Education Studio invited more than 1,000 students from its four branches to Universal Studios Singapore.
Zenith Learning Group’s founder and chief executive Evan Heng, 25, tells The Straits Times that his company spent a “high five-figure” sum on the outing, the first of four large-scale events that his students can look forward to in 2023.
Over at Raymond’s Math & Science Studio (RMSS), some 600 Primary 6 pupils will also visit the theme park in May.
For 10 years, it has been an annual tradition for the Primary School Leaving Examination cohort to enjoy a fun day out with their tutors before and after the national examination, says its founder and principal Raymond Loh, 55.
Although Covid-19 restrictions had put a damper on such activities, they are now back with a vengeance.
Cost of extras not passed on
Centres that offer more than tuition say it is important to take a holistic approach to education and look after students’ well-being.
“An enjoyable learning experience not only helps students bond with their tutors and classmates, but can also contribute to better learning outcomes,” says Mr Heng, whose centres give out free bubble tea, doughnuts and croissants to students during lesson time once a month.
These are in addition to the pantry’s snacks and packet drinks which students can help themselves to any time.
The tuition centres that The Straits Times spoke to say they do not pass on the expenditure of these extras to their students.
For example, Zenith charges $360 a month for junior college (JC) students, “which is below the market rate of over $400”, according to Mr Heng.
His centres, which started in 2019, guide students from Secondary 1 to JC 2 in a range of subjects.
Also offering free mouth-watering bites – albeit at every session – is Classicle Club, a tuition centre specialising in A-level general paper and O-level English.
Its founder Brooke Lim, 19, says: “Going for tuition can sometimes feel like a chore, especially after a long day at school. But when you put them in a room with friends and give them some good food during lessons, it can take the stress off and help them enjoy learning.”
She speaks from experience, recalling how her teachers at Raffles Institution would occasionally buy ice cream and bubble tea for the class. These gestures never failed to brighten up the students’ day.
The straight-A student completed her A-level examinations in 2021 and took a gap year from university to start her tuition centre in 2022, which has since enrolled close to 200 students.
To strengthen the bond, she invites them to join her on escape room outings, picnics and performances, on a first-come-first-served basis.
She also arranges for them to have conversations with undergraduates and young working adults.
Although they can choose to attend online lessons, which are more convenient and cheaper, she encourages them to attend in-person sessions. These are conducted at a co-working space near Clarke Quay while she finalises a permanent location.
“There is more interaction and it can foster a very supportive environment,” she says, adding that she sets a budget of about $8 a student for food and drinks for each in-person class.
Real face-time is always better
Mr Dave Sim, founder and chief executive of PMC.SG Education Group which runs tuition centre The Physics Cafe, also advocates for on-site learning.
“Our tutors need to read the students’ body language, make eye contact and look at their work to know that they are learning well,” says the 44-year-old, who started his first outlet in 2010.
“However, time is wasted on travelling to attend on-site classes, so there must be something that attracts them.”
His centre offers physics, mathematics and chemistry lessons from secondary to JC levels. Each of the three branches has a lounge environment to provide a supportive learning space where students can mingle with one another.
“We understand that it is no longer enough to just have the best teachers and guarantee students an A in the exams. That’s why we offer additional perks such as free ice cream, Milo, coffee and a shuttle bus service to create a more enjoyable and comfortable environment for our students,” says Mr Sim.
To encourage learning and class participation, students are rewarded with “PMC currency” which allows them to “buy” air-fried popcorn chicken for $2 a serving, offset their tuition fees or take part in monthly lucky draws.
For instance, in March, they stand to win a pair of the latest AirPods, and in April, it is an iPad. Every $1 in PMC currency represents one chance.
Worthy investment for the centres
These perks for students no doubt add to operating costs, but the businesses say it is a worthy investment.
Mr Sim believes that motivated and high-achieving youth are drawn to centres that focus on both their grades and well-being.
Classicle Club’s Miss Lim finds that when the Gen Zers feel special and enjoy themselves, they would be happy to post about their experiences on social media, which then helps promote her company.
“It makes more sense to invest in our current customers than to spend money on advertising to reach out to potential customers who may never be converted,” says Miss Lim, who is also a TikTok influencer (@sugaresque) with close to 185,000 followers. “And I don’t tell them that they have to post.”
Zenith’s Mr Heng is aware that some might consider the perks as “marketing gimmicks” to attract sign-ups. But he says that these actually help his charges enjoy the learning process better “without the high levels of stress that most students in secondary school or JC have”.
“We feel that spending this money is essential to help us achieve our vision of what tuition should be like in Singapore,” Mr Heng adds, sharing that his company has budgeted around half a million dollars on student welfare in 2023.
Motivational extras
A cool six-figure sum is also what RMSS spends outside of the academic curriculum annually, according to Mr Loh.
But the focus is not always on fun and games for the students. Besides bowling, movie and theme park outings, he takes pride in organising inspirational trips and learning opportunities with his team.
In March, they led some 480 teens from Secondary 3 to JC 2 to the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) first on-site open house since the pandemic.
It was a free public event, but the company spent about $2,000 chartering 14 buses to ferry the students from its four outlets to NUS and back. “The real ‘cost’ was to cancel lessons and having to do replacements later, which is taxing on my teachers,” he says.
The effort is worth it.
“Not every teen and his or her parents are well informed about higher education, so we take the students there to walk the grounds and learn about the different courses and requirements,” he says.
“You don’t have to say much to them. When they come back, they will want to study harder.”
One appreciative student who joined the outing was Vitasha Monique Kaur, 17, from Raffles Institution. She has been with RMSS since Primary 5, and topped the Secondary 4 cohort in A maths at her former school, Cedar Girls’ Secondary School, in 2022.
She and her mother Jessey Kaur, a 49-year-old housewife, credit the centre for her grades.
Mrs Kaur says: “All these free outings to NUS, Universal Studios, bowling and movies make the kids really happy and motivated. They know that going to tuition isn’t only to study, study, study. They work hard and play hard too.”
RMSS also sponsored Singaporean adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow’s expedition as he climbed Lhotse, the world’s fourth-tallest mountain. He reached the peak on his fourth attempt in May 2022.
Upon his return, he gave a motivational talk to some RMSS students.
Says Mr Loh: “As they pursue academic excellence with our teachers’ guidance, we really want to spread the values of care and courage to them at the same time.”
Best of both worlds
Ultimately, it is important for the students to feel happy and enthusiastic about their tuition classes.
“The perks are nice and good to have. I don’t see how kids will ever not benefit from having perks,” says Miss Lim. “But they shouldn’t overshadow the core purpose, which is enhancing the learning experience. “
Mr Seth Chan, 21, a former St Andrew’s JC student who used to take economics and maths tuition lessons at Zenith, agrees. “The teaching itself was good enough. Even without the free food, drinks and outings, which are a welcome bonus, I’d still gladly go for the classes,” he says.
He appreciates that his tutors took time to answer questions which he asked via WhatsApp outside of lessons, and also invited undergraduates to give talks about university courses.
Miss Lim adds: “Giving tuition is a very service-based business. You need to cultivate relationships with students, make sure they’re happy, so they would come back for more.”
One way to do that is to focus on the academics. Another would be to pay attention to the students’ well-being.
“Or you could do both,” she says. “That’s when the learning really kicks in.”
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