SINGAPORE: When her daughter was in secondary school, Ms Shubhada Jayant Bhide had to hunt for the best tuition centres, ferry her to and from classes, and set aside some of her salary to pay for all of it.
These days, her younger son Shrihaan gets the help he needs at home – from an artificial intelligence-powered “tutor”, and at a comparatively nominal price.
The Secondary 1 student turns to his AI tutor whenever he's confused about something he learnt in school, and which he can't find an opportunity to ask his teachers about.
“It is such a gamechanger when it comes to traditional tuition,” said Ms Shubhada, an IT professional in her 40s. “It is literally at our fingertips.”
Harnessing AI in education is not entirely new, with Singapore's Ministry of Education (MOE) introducing AI-enabled features in its online learning portal from last year.
But a more recent boom in generative AI chatbots, with OpenAI's ChatGPT leading the way, has fuelled the emergence of an array of AI-powered commercial learning tools.
In July, ChatGPT also launched a "study mode", designed to unpack learning materials rather than simply provide students with answers.
AI tutors in Singapore told CNA, however, that they are more tailored to the local syllabus than these big global names. And they say they have the numbers to reflect growing demand from users in Singapore.
Tutorly, the platform used by Shrihaan, has gained over 1,200 free users since its launch in January. AI-powered mathematics tuition service WizzTutor has attracted more than 800 users since June.
Edutech platform Geniebook, which operates five physical branches here, also reported a 25 per cent year-on-year increase in use of its AI-powered learning services.
AI tutors position themselves as more affordable than traditional options, which Singapore households spent S$1.8 billion (US$1.4 billion) on in 2023, according to the government's latest expenditures survey. This was up from S$1.4 billion in 2018.
The same survey, which is conducted every five years, showed that households spent an average of S$104.80 per month on private tuition, up from S$88.40 in 2018.
Prices vary according to class size and subject, but are typically around S$20 to S$120 per hour for one-to-one classes, based on rates available online.
At name-brand tuition centres like The Learning Lab, a lesson for secondary school students can cost up to S$172, or up to S$688 per month.
Ahead of his N-Level examinations last year, 17-year-old Aditya Mishra discovered that most tuition centres were already full and so he turned to The Wise Otter, an AI tutor on messaging app Telegram.
He said the free version of the tool provided the maths support he needed. "It's actually pretty good ... I don't think students should have to pay so much just to learn," he said.
The Tutorly platform, which covers most subjects from primary school to junior college, costs S$49 a month. Paid users can ask the AI-powered tutor for explanations, practice questions and summaries; and get unlimited access to past-year papers and other resources. A free plan is also available, though with limited access to questions and responses.
Tutorly’s co-founder Dan, who declined to share his full name, said the idea came about when he realised that not everyone could access traditional tuition. “That was when we thought ... maybe we should use AI to kind of help bridge this gap,” he said.
Business owner Michelle Hon’s children use Tutorly to close gaps in their learning. They are not necessarily falling behind in their studies, so the AI platform suffices, said their mother.
“I don't need to shuttle them to tuition, and then have to wait one hour,” she said, adding that she appreciates how her children can log in to use the platform at any time.
It was the same need for convenience that sparked the idea for WizzTutor, which covers Primary 5 to Secondary 5 maths topics.
Co-founder Samuel Swee, an ex-MOE teaching scholar, banked on his own experience of students often looking for homework help at odd hours.
The monthly fee for WizzTutor is S$74, slightly more than S$2 a day – or the price of a cup of coffee or tea, said Mr Swee, who used to teach geography and social studies at the secondary school level.
He described his platform as helping to "level the uneven playing field".
"We're not meant to replace people," he said. "It's just more of a complementary role in the sense that AI tools like WizzTutor can help build up your foundation, give you more practice and instant feedback; which is very often what students want."
In response to queries from CNA, an MOE spokesperson said AI learning tools were for self-directed learning and not required to register under the Education Act. Under the Act, centres offering tuition or enrichment programmes to 10 or more students must be registered with MOE.
Students and parents are encouraged to exercise discretion when using such AI tools, and to do so in a safe and responsible manner, the spokesperson added.
Experts cautioned that AI tutors must be built in a way to promote true learning – in other words, to ensure students are not spoon-fed solutions.
Mr Jonathan Sim, a lecturer at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) learning and development academy, pointed out that an AI tutor could potentially give in and simply provide answers when prompted by impatient students.
When CNA attempted to use the free version of an AI tutor, the bot indeed generated the correct answer to a maths question after being given the input “I don’t know”.
“If people have no motivation to learn, all this will fail,” said Mr Sim, adding that the better AI tutors would be those created in close partnership with teachers and engineers.
As AI cannot “magically understand” the struggles individual students face in their learning processes, a teacher’s experience is needed to anticipate how the bot should respond if students display signs of giving up, he said.
Dr Wong Lung Hsiang, a senior education research scientist at the National Institute of Education (NIE), said AI could promote “shortcut thinking” if used poorly.
“The danger is not just cheating, but subtle cognitive atrophy. When AI provides fluent, well-structured responses, students may stop practising key skills like analysis, synthesis and independent judgment,” he said.
Tutorly acknowledged that while “not easy” to detect when students misuse the tool, most of them use it under the guidance of their parents.
WizzTutor meanwhile has a dashboard for parents to oversee how their child uses the platform, including the prompts they put in.
Ms Shubhada told CNA she was aware of the risks of over-relying on AI tools, and that she agreed with the need to set clear boundaries. But with the newfound ease of having an AI tutor, she doesn’t see herself signing her son Shrihaan up for in-person tuition anytime soon.
“Now, the ball is in the court of … the tuition centres. So they have to give something which AI doesn't give."
For parents, experts and businesses CNA spoke to, that something could be the ability to stimulate and inspire.
“What we lose when we move away from a human tuition teacher to an AI tuition teacher is … that human to manage and motivate the learner,” said NUS' Mr Sim.
He said it was key to have a “human in the loop”, or someone to set the context and to discuss with the student what was learnt from using the AI platform.
NIE’s Dr Wong agreed, saying: “We need to normalise asking ‘what did I learn from this?’ alongside ‘did I get it right?’."
AI must be viewed as a thinking partner and not a solution provider; and students must make a habit out of comparing the AI's output with their own understanding, he added.
Ultimately, Dr Wong's view was that while AI tutors are on the rise, they are unlikely to fully replace in-person options. Instead, more hybrid models will emerge.
The Geniebook firm, for one, is moving to expand both in-person and online services – "symbiotic offerings" to help improve students, according to CEO Neo Zhizhong.
“Technology can do a lot of things," he said. "But it cannot do some simple things, like a pat on the back."
Continue reading...
These days, her younger son Shrihaan gets the help he needs at home – from an artificial intelligence-powered “tutor”, and at a comparatively nominal price.
The Secondary 1 student turns to his AI tutor whenever he's confused about something he learnt in school, and which he can't find an opportunity to ask his teachers about.
“It is such a gamechanger when it comes to traditional tuition,” said Ms Shubhada, an IT professional in her 40s. “It is literally at our fingertips.”
Harnessing AI in education is not entirely new, with Singapore's Ministry of Education (MOE) introducing AI-enabled features in its online learning portal from last year.
But a more recent boom in generative AI chatbots, with OpenAI's ChatGPT leading the way, has fuelled the emergence of an array of AI-powered commercial learning tools.
In July, ChatGPT also launched a "study mode", designed to unpack learning materials rather than simply provide students with answers.
AI tutors in Singapore told CNA, however, that they are more tailored to the local syllabus than these big global names. And they say they have the numbers to reflect growing demand from users in Singapore.
Tutorly, the platform used by Shrihaan, has gained over 1,200 free users since its launch in January. AI-powered mathematics tuition service WizzTutor has attracted more than 800 users since June.
Edutech platform Geniebook, which operates five physical branches here, also reported a 25 per cent year-on-year increase in use of its AI-powered learning services.
LEVELLING THE FIELD?
AI tutors position themselves as more affordable than traditional options, which Singapore households spent S$1.8 billion (US$1.4 billion) on in 2023, according to the government's latest expenditures survey. This was up from S$1.4 billion in 2018.
The same survey, which is conducted every five years, showed that households spent an average of S$104.80 per month on private tuition, up from S$88.40 in 2018.
Prices vary according to class size and subject, but are typically around S$20 to S$120 per hour for one-to-one classes, based on rates available online.
At name-brand tuition centres like The Learning Lab, a lesson for secondary school students can cost up to S$172, or up to S$688 per month.
Ahead of his N-Level examinations last year, 17-year-old Aditya Mishra discovered that most tuition centres were already full and so he turned to The Wise Otter, an AI tutor on messaging app Telegram.
He said the free version of the tool provided the maths support he needed. "It's actually pretty good ... I don't think students should have to pay so much just to learn," he said.
The Tutorly platform, which covers most subjects from primary school to junior college, costs S$49 a month. Paid users can ask the AI-powered tutor for explanations, practice questions and summaries; and get unlimited access to past-year papers and other resources. A free plan is also available, though with limited access to questions and responses.
Tutorly’s co-founder Dan, who declined to share his full name, said the idea came about when he realised that not everyone could access traditional tuition. “That was when we thought ... maybe we should use AI to kind of help bridge this gap,” he said.
Related:
Business owner Michelle Hon’s children use Tutorly to close gaps in their learning. They are not necessarily falling behind in their studies, so the AI platform suffices, said their mother.
“I don't need to shuttle them to tuition, and then have to wait one hour,” she said, adding that she appreciates how her children can log in to use the platform at any time.
It was the same need for convenience that sparked the idea for WizzTutor, which covers Primary 5 to Secondary 5 maths topics.
Co-founder Samuel Swee, an ex-MOE teaching scholar, banked on his own experience of students often looking for homework help at odd hours.
The monthly fee for WizzTutor is S$74, slightly more than S$2 a day – or the price of a cup of coffee or tea, said Mr Swee, who used to teach geography and social studies at the secondary school level.
He described his platform as helping to "level the uneven playing field".
"We're not meant to replace people," he said. "It's just more of a complementary role in the sense that AI tools like WizzTutor can help build up your foundation, give you more practice and instant feedback; which is very often what students want."
In response to queries from CNA, an MOE spokesperson said AI learning tools were for self-directed learning and not required to register under the Education Act. Under the Act, centres offering tuition or enrichment programmes to 10 or more students must be registered with MOE.
Students and parents are encouraged to exercise discretion when using such AI tools, and to do so in a safe and responsible manner, the spokesperson added.
"SHORTCUT THINKING"
Experts cautioned that AI tutors must be built in a way to promote true learning – in other words, to ensure students are not spoon-fed solutions.
Mr Jonathan Sim, a lecturer at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) learning and development academy, pointed out that an AI tutor could potentially give in and simply provide answers when prompted by impatient students.
When CNA attempted to use the free version of an AI tutor, the bot indeed generated the correct answer to a maths question after being given the input “I don’t know”.
“If people have no motivation to learn, all this will fail,” said Mr Sim, adding that the better AI tutors would be those created in close partnership with teachers and engineers.
As AI cannot “magically understand” the struggles individual students face in their learning processes, a teacher’s experience is needed to anticipate how the bot should respond if students display signs of giving up, he said.
Dr Wong Lung Hsiang, a senior education research scientist at the National Institute of Education (NIE), said AI could promote “shortcut thinking” if used poorly.
“The danger is not just cheating, but subtle cognitive atrophy. When AI provides fluent, well-structured responses, students may stop practising key skills like analysis, synthesis and independent judgment,” he said.
Tutorly acknowledged that while “not easy” to detect when students misuse the tool, most of them use it under the guidance of their parents.
WizzTutor meanwhile has a dashboard for parents to oversee how their child uses the platform, including the prompts they put in.
Ms Shubhada told CNA she was aware of the risks of over-relying on AI tools, and that she agreed with the need to set clear boundaries. But with the newfound ease of having an AI tutor, she doesn’t see herself signing her son Shrihaan up for in-person tuition anytime soon.
“Now, the ball is in the court of … the tuition centres. So they have to give something which AI doesn't give."
HUMAN STILL NEEDED
For parents, experts and businesses CNA spoke to, that something could be the ability to stimulate and inspire.
“What we lose when we move away from a human tuition teacher to an AI tuition teacher is … that human to manage and motivate the learner,” said NUS' Mr Sim.
He said it was key to have a “human in the loop”, or someone to set the context and to discuss with the student what was learnt from using the AI platform.
NIE’s Dr Wong agreed, saying: “We need to normalise asking ‘what did I learn from this?’ alongside ‘did I get it right?’."
AI must be viewed as a thinking partner and not a solution provider; and students must make a habit out of comparing the AI's output with their own understanding, he added.
Ultimately, Dr Wong's view was that while AI tutors are on the rise, they are unlikely to fully replace in-person options. Instead, more hybrid models will emerge.
The Geniebook firm, for one, is moving to expand both in-person and online services – "symbiotic offerings" to help improve students, according to CEO Neo Zhizhong.
“Technology can do a lot of things," he said. "But it cannot do some simple things, like a pat on the back."
Continue reading...