ABSTRACT
Today, shadow education has become so common in Singapore that it is considered by most a “norm” for school-age children. At the same time, it is widely criticized by the government, educators, and parents alike. According to critics, the growth of shadow education is driven primarily by the inflated ambitions of Singaporean kiasuparents. Furthermore, shadow education is accused of obstructing recent efforts by the government to shift Singapore's education system towards more holistic conceptions of education. Based on a qualitative study, the chapter examines these two charges. In both respects, it suggests a more complex picture. On the one hand, it shows that parents base their decisions on shadow education on a range of different considerations. These include competition, but parents tend to perceive competition as emanating from the education field rather than from themselves. On the other hand, the chapter shows that the shadow education field has become highly diverse. In some respects, the shadow education field has evolved in the same direction as the formal education system itself and it therefore cannot be viewed simply as an enemy of education reform.
