Tuition centers should not force parents to accept digital learning at full fees.
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deardear07\" post_id=\"1975055\" time=\"1589164804\" user_id=\"1429:
I don’t know but If there is no intention to show you online e-lesson, it is either the teachers are lacking IT skills to conduct live group Zoom lessons or they cannot let parents see how lessons are being conducted. Eg: Make the child sit there to do worksheets in class and do you think online lessons is feasible for that?
I m surprised Tien Hsia being such a wide establishment has no intention of e-lessons for the entire CB period.. only free video recordings n worksheets for April and discount for May. Whereas, there are so many other centres that have gone online. any idea?
In fact, all parents should open their eyes big and choose online live lessons and try out during this period as you get to see how the teacher conducts the teaching to engage your children. -
.zeit\" post_id=\"1973494\" time=\"1588307355\" user_id=\"171271:
Indeed shortchanged.
They should not combine because it's not fair to the customer. The tutor was hired by Stalford to conduct 2 X 30-pupil class, and the paying consumers understood at point of transaction that attention on their child will be split among 30 pupils, not 60 pupils.NoToStalf\" post_id=\"1973478\" time=\"1588302009\" user_id=\"185300:
Hi,
Anyone with similar experience to share on Stalford Learning Ctr? They do not offer discount/rebates. They've combined 2 x P6 classes (~ 60 students) and conduct the lessons (~2 hrs) online via Zoom. :rant:
The centre is chasing us for May payment.
https://www.stalford.edu.sg/
So by hook or by crook, this tutor must provide 2 X services. Indeed, it is tiring to host 2 runs on Zoom (using digital pen/toggle back and forth worksheet and replying to msgs), but you know what, that's what other tuition centres have been doing, including hosting back-to-back 2-hr Zoom sessions the entire Saturday or Sunday, with each session having its own secured unique Meeting ID and password.
Ethical tuition centres do not provide a playback of recording of the earliest class of that day/week, but their tutors must duly repeat the same contents and reteach real-time for the number of times she/he's been hired for.
Ideally, there must be a video clip to be shared with parents post-class, so that they know it is not an audio recording, but an actual live one with their child asking questions/tutor answering questions in that Zoom or whatever platform video recording.
You've been shortchanged by Stalford.
Ethical centre conducts group online lesson with the same number of students as physical class and same duration and same timing. Just call different centres hotlines or email them and you get your answers after comparison. -
sembgal\" post_id=\"1976425\" time=\"1589730089\" user_id=\"5559:
Well, that's Stalford which hires SCs whom I presume have unlimited Wifi and a decent room and laptop with MSOffice&Adobe + scanner-copier-printer at their disposal.
Indeed shortchanged.
Ethical centre conducts group online lesson with the same number of students as physical class and same duration and same timing. Just call different centres hotlines or email them and you get your answers after comparison.
There've been many complaints about Chinese tuition centres since the start of the closure. But many students do not realise not all Chinese language tutors are PRs or SCs living in their own property with wifi subscription.
Fact is many are WP holders co-rooming or subletting a HDB room, so we're not sure if they are entitled to use the landlord's wifi (or maybe don't even have wifi since many landlords who lease a room to WPs are usually silver-agers). Some tutors could be Msian Chinese whose accommodation could be a problem to their employers.
WPs mainly use top-up SIM cards from 7-11 and getting them to conduct 3 hr Zoom using own SIM data roaming can be a pretty high expense if there's no agreed telco allowance provided by their PRC tuition centre bosses. Moreover, if they have 3 or 4 straight classes a day, their roommate of another nationality might have to tolerate their hogging of the bedroom to conduct b2b Zoom classes.
What's worse is the other roommate is also a Chinese tutor with a conflicting timetable. Size of the screen matters too. If WPs do not have a laptop or tablet, they might find it even more challenging to conduct Zoom, to upload and download assignments from cloudsharing platforms and to digitally mark worksheets using their fingers.
If the tuition boss isn't IT savvy, their tutors might not be assigned with a personal corporate email account, or ClassDojo account which protects their HP no. privacy. -
pipiyap\" post_id=\"1974783\" time=\"1589027194\" user_id=\"54922:
Please jump ship
JIang education looks the worst among Chinese enrichment, replacing all classes with pre-recorded online training and no discount, rebate on the fees paid nor follow up classes. A lot of complaints online at ipetition that the general manager ignores parents’ feeeback.
Now, we are talking about \"survival of the fittest\"
Once customers viewed that they have been unjustly treated, at the very most, they \"tahan / dong\", until reach end of their one Term payment. After that, they sayorana, withdraw and move over to some other centre. After all, there are so many tuition centre around in Singapore. Don't tell me, cannot find one good one ?
If centre owner failed to keep up with the demanding times, failed to listen to customers' needs (requirement), they can end up losing customer support.
This covid-19 has turned situation around.
We all, cannot go back to the previous past norm, anymore.
The new norm has arrived.
Reality is harsh !
Either keep up with the uncertainty times ahead, or if contiinue to be stubborn, refused to listen patiently to the needs of customers, Sorry
haven't they heard of this word,
\"Accountability\" ?
Like it or not, once customers pay u $ to teach their children,
all tuition centre business owners, are \"Accountable\" to their customers : the school children and their parents. Yes, no doubt the students are young, primary school kids or Secondary school students below aged 18, still they remain accountable
Change the way, to suit customers' needs.
Be humble, adapt to changes -
.zeit\" post_id=\"1976823\" time=\"1589940562\" user_id=\"171271:
I guessed as much, regarding those Chinese tuition centres that have chosen to just suspend lessons until they are allowed to reopen.
Well, that's Stalford which hires SCs whom I presume have unlimited Wifi and a decent room and laptop with MSOffice&Adobe + scanner-copier-printer at their disposal.sembgal\" post_id=\"1976425\" time=\"1589730089\" user_id=\"5559:
Indeed shortchanged.
Ethical centre conducts group online lesson with the same number of students as physical class and same duration and same timing. Just call different centres hotlines or email them and you get your answers after comparison.
There've been many complaints about Chinese tuition centres since the start of the closure. But many students do not realise not all Chinese language tutors are PRs or SCs living in their own property with wifi subscription.
Fact is many are WP holders co-rooming or subletting a HDB room, so we're not sure if they are entitled to use the landlord's wifi (or maybe don't even have wifi since many landlords who lease a room to WPs are usually silver-agers). Some tutors could be Msian Chinese whose accommodation could be a problem to their employers.
WPs mainly use top-up SIM cards from 7-11 and getting them to conduct 3 hr Zoom using own SIM data roaming can be a pretty high expense if there's no agreed telco allowance provided by their PRC tuition centre bosses. Moreover, if they have 3 or 4 straight classes a day, their roommate of another nationality might have to tolerate their hogging of the bedroom to conduct b2b Zoom classes.
What's worse is the other roommate is also a Chinese tutor with a conflicting timetable. Size of the screen matters too. If WPs do not have a laptop or tablet, they might find it even more challenging to conduct Zoom, to upload and download assignments from cloudsharing platforms and to digitally mark worksheets using their fingers.
If the tuition boss isn't IT savvy, their tutors might not be assigned with a personal corporate email account, or ClassDojo account which protects their HP no. privacy.
If they have such difficulties & considerations, they can inform the parents, who I’m sure can be quite understanding. Instead of how Jiang is handling it, looks like it just provokes the parents to anger because they are kept in the dark & kept silenced/unheard. -
All parents who are looking out for a better alternative elsewhere, a Chinese tuition centre to change to, can consider \"Etern\"
The owner, Mdm Chen, is a very patient, humble and gentle speaking, dedicated Chinese teacher. Those of you who know her, or who have sent your kids to her tuition class, will agree.
personal sharing experience -
Last year 2019, my child joined her tuition centre last minute very late,
only towards the last 2 months, from August all the way right up to PSLE, Mdm Chen had helped my child improved tremendously, in Higher Chinese (\"gao hua\").
Mdm Chen's daughter (Zhong ying yi),
was also amongst one of the Top National GCE O level past cohort batch, back then in 2011.
picture of her daughter (short hair)
https://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120110-320835.html
https://www.asiaone.com/print/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120109-320786.html
by the way, wish to highlight that i am in no way related to Mdm Chen.
is just that from my own personal experience, I find her a very good Teacher, rare to come by, hence feel that she deserved special mention.
Mdm Chen have the genuine heart to teach. We should give credit, when credit is due. And this is the time. :salute:
If you are interested, below is her online as well as regular Term time 2020 time-table.
can give her a call, ask how she can help your child, improve in his (her) Higher Chinese / Standard Chinese (PSLE / O-level)
https://www.eterneducation.com/class-schedule
For online lessons, Mdm Chen use interactive technology
Thank you, for your patience, in reading. -
Whether or not, you have wifi at home, and whether you want to use it for work, should be separated? It seems to us, that if I teach in the center, I pay for my own wifi for my leisure anyway, therefore it doesnt cost me extra to use the wifi that I am already paying for, to teach at home. But actually maybe they dont think this way? Maybe they expect the tuition center to pay or co-pay for the wifi, which they now have to use for work? And the computer/ipad? Just because they may have one at home, they should have no qualms about using it for work? Or as teachers, they should go above and beyond?
Here on ksp, we usually talk about a few of these big centers. So when one center gives discount, we expect another to do the same. When one center uses live lessons, we expect another to do the same. But actually, there are many smaller centers that are suspending lessons from the announcement in March. Sometimes, like what has been mentioned above, some center do face difficulties moving lessons online. The teachers’ IT skills, their material, etc.
I think we cannot expect all the tuition centers to change so quickly. How should I put it? Ok first of all, I am also paying for tuition, I am not running any tuition center. But I want to say, we also need to think for them. They are also caught off guard, literally like 3 days notice? Just because it is a situation that was not buffered for, doesnt mean the centers must come back to look after our own interests only. If they can do it, I think they would because that would mean continued revenue too. And if they have no means to do, then they simply cannot do it.
Jiang for example, collects lesson costs in 10 or 20 lessons at one go. However, they do not charge registration and do not take a deposit. Did anyone offer to give them a deposit and give them termination notice cos that is the common practice? I guess not? So I read earlier that they first suspended lessons, maybe cos they were confident it was for a month or so, and hence didnt see the need to explore other options, we can only say they are not prepared. My friend runs a tuition center with a few branches in the hdb neighbourhoods, he also suspended the lessons because he had no means to move the lessons online mainly because of the teachers’ expectations.
So yes, maybe they should explicitly say it to parents that they have no means to move lessons online. Or maybe they did. Maybe they didnt. But if we are always only thinking about ourselves, we may end up deciding that those are excuses. When we center everything around ourselves, everyone else is wrong if they dont do what we expect them to do.
Or is it just because it is a tuition business that involves human lives (??), they are expected to do more? I mean, my Starbucks stored value card has money in it, but if they cannot open, they will keep the money until they can open and I can use. This is not a good example, since Starbucks has remained open, but the best I can think of right now. I dont think anyone would have expected Starbucks to return the money in the stored value card if they are asked to close. Or how about the Koi card? I dont have one but now that they are closed, are they arranging a refund? -
No, I am one parent who had zero expectations of my child’s tuition centres moving online, given the sudden notice. Suspension of lessons is reasonable in light of the sudden announcement from govt.
Rather, my ire stems from the fact that some centres chose to move online unilaterally, without any way for us to opt out.
If you want an analogy, it’s like your Starbucks or Koi telling you that your stored value can only be used to redeem lessons on how to make your own Frappuccino/BBT at home via Zoom lessons. -
zac's mum\" post_id=\"1976838\" time=\"1589946633\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=1976838 time=1589946633 user_id=53606]
If they dont move online, some people are unhappy because they think the learning of their children is affected and then these parents worry about their money being held on.
No, I am one parent who had zero expectations of my child’s tuition centres moving online, given the sudden notice. Suspension of lessons is reasonable in light of the sudden announcement from govt.
Rather, my ire stems from the fact that some centres chose to move online unilaterally, without any way for us to opt out.[/quote]
If they do move online, some other people are unhappy because they think it is not good enough, then they expect a discount, or an option to opt out.
I guess there is no best way to go about this. If I am the business owner, I may not want to offer the option to opt out because it affects my bottomline. Whether it is tuition or food, it is a business, not a charity, and a responsibility towards the employees if I cant keep them. But then again, maybe if I am the business owner, I may want to offer the option to opt out if I have the scale, so that it gives me good what, reputation? That hopefully, customers and customers-to-be will see me in a good light and thus brings about future business. Very much the same as offering free trials, paid trials, or no trial class. So I suppose the best that customers can do, is to look at our options, write off some loses if the center has turned out not aligned with what we value and withdraw, or just continue.
Some centers run on very thin margin, and if too many opt out, they will have to decide how long they can afford to absorb. Or some of them may have the bulk of their business coming from pre school and pri school, the number opting out may be a lot higher than those whose business mainly come from sec school and jc. It is easy to read about pty tax rebates, and some govt measures to help companies retain staff. But until we are in the exact situation, we wont know for sure how relevant or impactful those schemes really are. But yes, it is not the consumers responsibility to keep businesses afloat too. So pick the options available that best fits our needs, I guess? -
zac's mum\" post_id=\"1976838\" time=\"1589946633\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=1976838 time=1589946633 user_id=53606]
You added this after I finished with the earlier post.
If you want an analogy, it’s like your Starbucks or Koi telling you that your stored value can only be used to redeem lessons on how to make your own Frappuccino/BBT at home via Zoom lessons.[/quote]
So yes, I can understand. I agree that they do think of ways to keep their revenue coming in, because they are also a business. It is just too bad. If they have the scale (expected opt outs much fewer than opt ins) and the means (cashflow) and it is within their business strategy (reputation, eg on free trials, paid trials, no trial), they may offer the option to opt out. But if they dont want to, they dont need to. I guess it is easy to say, if I were the business owner, I would def do it. But until we are in the exact situation, we won’t know for sure.
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