SINGAPORE, June 7 — A private tutor in Singapore is being investigated by authorities after allegedly helping a 13-year-old student purchase an e-cigarette.

The incident came to light after the girl’s secondary school contacted her father on May 21 to inform him that his daughter had been caught with a vape device.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the school’s discipline master said the girl had admitted to asking her Chinese tutor to help buy it online.

The father, surnamed Zhu, 33, told the paper he was “extremely shocked” and later checked his daughter’s chat history with the tutor.

“I saw that the tutor purchased the e-cigarette online and even sent screenshots to my daughter. She handed the e-cigarette to my daughter on May 19,” he reportedly said.

“At the time, my daughter said she would pay S$78 (RM256) to her during the next lesson.”

The tutor had been hired through an agency in 2024 to provide weekly Chinese lessons while the girl was in Primary 6. Lessons were conducted behind closed doors in the girl’s room every Monday.

Despite nearly a year of tuition, Zhu said her grades did not improve.

“My daughter’s Chinese grades this year were failing. I originally thought it was her own fault, but now I know the tutor wasn’t teaching seriously at all,” he said.

He added that after the first three proper lessons, the tutor had spent most of her time chatting with the girl and even bought her snacks and cosmetics.

Zhu said: “Later I called the tutor directly, and she initially denied it. It wasn’t until I told her I had already seen their chat records that she immediately hung up and blocked me.”

He added, “The tutor should have known better than to satisfy the curiosity of the girl by buying the vape on my daughter’s behalf.”

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) confirmed with Shin Min that it is investigating the case.

It reminded the public that importing, distributing, or selling e-cigarettes and their components is illegal in Singapore.

First-time offenders face fines of up to S$10,000, jail of up to six months, or both. Repeat offenders face double the penalty.

Zhu also reported the incident to the agency that had arranged the tuition. A spokesman told Shin Min that the agency has removed the tutor from its roster and taken steps to prevent similar incidents in future.

Following the discovery, Zhu has taken stricter measures at home. He said he now leaves the door open during tuition sessions and regularly checks his daughter’s school bag.