Tuition can be money well spent, provided parents are discerning enough to know what they are paying for ("Tuition race hots up as big players up their game / Spending more to get a head start for kids"; yesterday).

With so many players in the tuition market, it may be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Parents should guard against being reeled in by perks, such as freebies or other frills, if they fail to enhance the learning experience.

When it comes to tuition chains, the quality of teachers can vary vastly in terms of their level of commitment, as well as content mastery and delivery.

Curriculum materials may also not have been updated to reflect changes in exam formats, or question types are not in sync with what is being tested in school.

The onus, therefore, is on parents to do their own homework and track their children's progress closely, and avoid being taken in by the glitzy marketing blitz of some of these tuition chains.

Marietta Koh (Mrs)