Following the Brookes Business School incident in Singapore, we have received many tuition requests raising the concern if we are an approved tuition agency by Ministry of Education (MOE).

This is done in comparison with other tuition agencies that portray themselves as “MOE Approved”, “MOE Registered” or a combination of both, in online and offline advertisements.

It is to our professional knowledge that only private education schools offering academic and non-academic programmes are required to register with MOE. A school is defined as a place where 10 or more persons are being or are habitually taught whether in one or more classes (as quoted below).

Do I need to apply for this licence?

You are required to register with the Ministry of Education (MOE) if you are operating a school, be it a private school or a kindergarten. Based on the Education Act section 21, “… no school shall be carried out unless it is registered…”

A school is defined as a place where 10 or more persons are being or are habitually taught whether in one or more classes.
(Source: Online Business Licensing Service)

In conclusion, tuition agencies offering tutor matching services e.g. 1-1 private home tuition are not required to be registered with MOE. In addition, as of now there is no proper registration channel even if they wish to. For your reference, please refer to the list of private schools that are registered with MOE.

However it is a mandatory requirement for tuition agencies or any individual providing tutor matching services to register their business with Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), as it constitutes a continuous and on-going activity for the purpose of economic gain.

Under the Business Registration Act, “business” includes every form of trade, commerce, craftsmanship, calling, profession and any activity carried on for the purposes of gain but does not include any office, employment or occupation, or any of the businesses specified in the First Schedule.
(Source: http://www.acra.gov.sg)

In summary, we sincerely encourage parents, students and tutors to avoid approaching tuition matching providers that are “MOE Approved and Registered” as this is a misrepresentation of their business and professional ethics.

Avoid Unprofessional service. Approach Registered business.

Thank you.

Best regards,
The PROTUTORS Team