In 2024, we ran a nationwide survey with parents of primary and secondary school students to understand one question:

What does tuition look like for Malaysian families today?

This survey focused purely on academic tuition — not enrichment classes like music, sports, or arts, and not daycare/after-school care services.

Our goal was simple:
To understand the role tuition now plays in Malaysian students’ learning journey.

We asked parents a few core questions:

• Their child’s age
• Whether their child attends tuition
• Number of subjects, weekly hours, and monthly fees
• Their views on tuition and why they chose (or didn’t choose) it

Here’s what we found — and what these numbers really mean.

Key Findings at a Glance

A total of 263 Malaysian parents participated.

• 79.8% of students attend tuition
• Malaysian students spend an average of 8 hours per week in tuition
• They study an average of 4.9 subjects
• Families spend an average of RM464.55 per month
• There is no significant difference between primary and secondary students

This isn’t entirely new.

In our 2020 survey, only about 60% attended tuition. Four years later, the figure has jumped close to 80%, with higher time and financial commitment.

Whether this rise is due to post-pandemic learning gaps, changes in syllabus depth, increased academic pressure, or shifting family expectations — this requires deeper study.

But one thing is clear: tuition has become part of the mainstream learning system in Malaysia.

Tuition Is Now a Core Part of Most Families’ Learning Strategy

When nearly 8 out of 10 students attend tuition — and spend 8 hours weekly on almost 5 subjects — it signals a major shift.

Tuition is no longer something “only weaker students” need.

It has become:

• A long-term investment, not a temporary fix
• Part of a structured academic plan, not an emergency measure
• A third learning space, alongside school and home

In other words, many families are now “outsourcing learning support” the way companies outsource specialised tasks.

The question is: Why?

Why Parents Turn to Tuition

From parents’ responses, one primary reason emerged:

1. Concern that teachers cannot cater to every student

Many parents believe classroom teaching is fast-paced and teachers are overwhelmed, leaving some children unable to keep up.

Some parents even expressed it bluntly:

“If everything at school was enough, why would I need tuition?”

This worry becomes stronger in upper primary, where parents feel falling behind at this stage makes later recovery much harder.

2. No one at home to supervise

Many families rely on tuition centres or after-school programmes for care, especially if both parents work long hours. In other words, tuition centre is playing the role of childcare centre too.

3. Parents are unsure about the latest curriculum

With KSSR Semakan, new exam formats, and evolving marking expectations, many parents feel they may not be able to guide effectively — so they prefer to leave it to teachers.

Why Some Families Choose Not to Send Their Children to Tuition

Despite the rising trend, there remains a meaningful group of parents who opt out — and their reasons matter.

1. They want to protect the child’s free time

These parents worry that long-term fatigue, stress and burnout may do more harm than good.

They want their children to have:

• Time to rest
• A real childhood
• Space to explore naturally

2. They prefer enrichment over academic tuition

To some parents, personal growth, exposure, and creativity matter more than academic drills.

They would rather invest in:

• Art or music
• Sports
• Coding, robotics, or interest-based skills

3. Their children can manage schoolwork independently

Some students cope well with school lessons and maintain strong results without additional support.

These families remind us of something important:

Tuition is a choice, not a default.

So… Should You Send Your Child to Tuition?

This survey doesn’t tell parents what to do. Instead, it helps us see the bigger picture about education in Malaysia:

• Tuition is now normal, not exceptional
• But following the trend blindly isn’t helpful
• And avoiding tuition completely isn’t always ideal either

Tuition can be helpful.

Tuition can also become a burden.

The real question isn’t:

“Should my child attend tuition?”

But rather:

“What does my child actually need to keep growing — without being overwhelmed, and without falling behind?”

Every family starts from a different place.

Every child grows at a different pace.

And every parent has a different set of values.

If this survey helps you reflect on:

• your child’s current challenges
• where the pressure is coming from
• which support might genuinely help

…then it has already served its purpose.