Outrage over kindergarten's 'tuition' classes

[SAHM_TAN]

$40-$50 per term is cheap compared to $100plus per month in pte centres, excluding CCs.


I think the gvt must look into the curriculum of kindergartens. Some teach phonics and some don’t. This is only one area.

[iRabbit]

I think the crux of the matter is the misunderstanding caused by poor communication that those ‘enrichment lessons’ are compulsory. I agree that enrichment should never be compulsory.


However I have a different take when we are suggesting that we should ban enrichment Ctr altogether. As someone who sent my kid for P1 preparation classes, I saw the benefits. It is my prerogative as a parent to want to offer the best I can for my child. So if I a) think that my kid can benefit from enrichment b) finds them financially affordable, who is to say that i should refrain from doing so? Who has the right to take away my prerogative to do the best to my child?

Reading some of the posts here, I almost feel that I’m committing a crime. As for the externality that more students being well prepared will drive the std up, why must we assume that it is a given that MOE has to keep abiding to the dreaded bell curve (Chen has written extensively on this).

Going by the same logic, can I ask post-graduate education to be banned cos more educated workforce will earn more, driving the property market and causing me to be disadvantaged?

Different parents, different parenting styles, different perspective. I respect that. So please don’t assume that parents who send their kids for enrichment go in blindly, waiting to be fleeced.

[jedamum]

it is wrong usage of words la. PCF do provide enrichment classes…the one that my ds1 attended last time…the curriculum was mainly to teach interactions and basic skills (the amount of stuff ds1 did/learnt in 2yrs, my ds2 did in 1 term in his preschool!!). it was definitely not enough for P1 prep, so the option of enrichment classes at a cheaper rate was a relief for parents like us who wished to have additional help for our kids. similarly for my ds2’s preschool, they have more expensive enrichment available for the kids (where you can also pay a fee and the sch bus will fetch after the enrichment classes). we did not opt because the curriculum offered by the preschool is good enough for us. it is always good to have options.

[Brenda10]

Oppsgal:

Brenda10:

I remembered in 2005 when DD was in K2, the childcare had conducted additional phonics class and we paid around $40 -50 for a term. We also engaged a China Teacher teaching DD HYPI before she enter P1.

Why don't teach own child at home?

If everything also tuition, :moneyflies: .

I would only bring kid to tuition if I really don't know how to teach.

I believe give birth to kids, parents should spent the time with kids. Be it in education or what...try first before outsource.

We are not good in phonics and HYPI as such we let DD joined the class that offered by the childcare and found a China teacher for her.

I think these learning have helped her as during the P1 to now Sec 1 she has not much problem in handling spelling and 听写.

[Chenonceau]

(1) Why don’t the schools teach all this in Primary 1?


(2) Where will this stop? Will my grandchildren get enrichment in the womb and differentiating tests administered to sieve out at birth those who can perform and those who can’t?

[jedamum]

Chenonceau:

(1) Why don't the schools teach all this in Primary 1?


(2) Where will this stop? Will my grandchildren get enrichment in the womb?

some people already let their baby listen to music in the womb leh... :evil:

[Chenonceau]

jedamum:

Chenonceau:

(1) Why don't the schools teach all this in Primary 1?


(2) Where will this stop? Will my grandchildren get enrichment in the womb?

some people already let their baby listen to music in the womb leh... :evil:

As long as schools dun test it...

Man! I love this post... http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?p=726650#p726650

[Chenonceau]

FQW:

However I have a different take when we are suggesting that we should ban enrichment Ctr altogether. As someone who sent my kid for P1 preparation classes, I saw the benefits. It is my prerogative as a parent to want to offer the best I can for my child. So if I a) think that my kid can benefit from enrichment b) finds them financially affordable, who is to say that i should refrain from doing so? Who has the right to take away my prerogative to do the best to my child?


Reading some of the posts here, I almost feel that I'm committing a crime. As for the externality that more students being well prepared will drive the std up, why must we assume that it is a given that MOE has to keep abiding to the dreaded bell curve (Chen has written extensively on this).

No... you are not committing a crime. If I were you, I would probably do the same. The questions are...

(1) Why are we sending kids to enrichment to learn what they will later be tested in Primary 1?

(2) Why aren't schools teaching AND sufficiently reinforcing what they test?

(3) From whence comes this worship of the differentiating bell curve? Has anyone thought to slaughter THIS sacred cow? It does seem to be fat enough at present. Any fatter and the entire cow could collapse because overweight.

[Lilac66]

When my DS was in K2,and that was quite a few years ago, one mummy I spoke to was aghast that her PCF kindy did not teach HYPY whereas mine, in a private one, was taught.


Next min I knew, she was scrambling to find an enrichment centre that prepares her child for P1, including HYPY. Why? I guess the mentality is that in P1, the teachers are going to gloss over alot basics like HYPY and phonics, assuming that all the children must have gone for extra classes for these.

So whose should be responsible ? Parents assuming that teachers are not going to teach all these well, or teachers who really don't teach well as they assume parents have sent the kids for extra preporatory classes? :roll:


it's a chicken and egg thing...

[Chenonceau]

Lilac66:

When my DS was in K2,and that was quite a few years ago, one mummy I spoke to was aghast that her PCF kindy did not teach HYPY whereas mine, in a private one, was taught.


Next min I knew, she was scrambling to find an enrichment centre that prepares her child for P1, including HYPY. Why? I guess the mentality is that in P1, the teachers are going to gloss over alot basics like HYPY and phonics, assuming that all the children must have gone for extra classes for these.

So whose should be responsible ? Parents assuming that teachers are not going to teach all these well, or teachers who really don't teach well as they assume parents have sent the kids for extra preporatory classes? :roll:


it's a chicken and egg thing...

It doesn't matter whether chicken or egg. We can...

(1) kill the chicken (i.e. kill the enrichment mania in all parents) or
(2) crack the egg (strengthen the system with better textbooks, more realistic testing and better flowthrough of educational resources so that Teachers can teach more effectively)

... and the vicious cycle is broken. You just need to kill one or crack the other.

Question is... which one is easier? Brainwashing a nation's parents or strengthening the system in the manner suggested. Good luck to MOE if it decides to brainwash parents with trite Straits Times articles strategised by its PR department. I just don't see that as effective at all. The more brainwashing brain waves come through the Straits Times, the louder parents and opposition MPs will speak. Straits Times editorials do not change reality.

The logic is very simple. Education Provider A (MOE) loses market share to Education Provider B (Mindstretcher) because TLL provides better quality. What is the solution? Education Provider A (MOE) must up its service quality to win back market share.

It's simple business competition. The only difference is that MOE has made it illegal NOT to attend its schools. It's not Teacher Quality, stop blaming the Teachers. Teachers are human. Humans make mistakes. The strength of organisational performance is defined by its support infrastructure. Everyone everywhere has access to the same workforce. The successful organisation helps even mediocre people perform.

Lousy textbooks. No platform for upload and download of educational resources for Teachers to use. Critical support infrastructure is missing in MOE... and so a shadow education industry has grown up to support weak teachers and overloaded teachers.

It's NOT Teachers' fault. It's management oversight.