Real reason behind Singapore’s obsession with tuition
-
verykiasu2010:
Bravo ~
yes, the conclusion is :- parents' mindset, not that the schools are all so hopeless, not that all the teachers don't teach, not that all the schools are testing beyond what was taught ....... it is all in the mindset of parents who cannot accept when their kids score lower than the peers. it is really a mindset problem of the parents, too small minded that they cannot accept the fact their kids' scores is just 0.000000001 lower than the next guy in t-scoreblessed777:
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/things-consider-sending-child-tuition-classes-102823408.html
Real reason behind Singapore’s obsession with tuition
By Yahoo! Singapore | SingaporeScene – Wed, Jun 13, 2012
By Daniel Wong
Singapore is a tuition nation.
Previous reports from the Department of Statistics show that households spent $820 million a year on both centre and home-based private tuition.
In addition, the number of tuition centres has increased five times over the past decade. There are now more than 500 centres in Singapore.
In comparison, there are fewer than 400 primary and secondary schools in total.
Through my work as an education excellence coach and speaker, I've had the privilege of speaking to and working with thousands of students. Through these interactions, I estimate (estimate only, not a scientifically derived number) that more than 90% of students attend some form of tuition classes.
Students continually complain about their huge struggle to complete their school and tuition homework, participate actively in their co-curricular activities, and lead a somewhat balanced life.
Most students tell me that they don't get more than 5 or 6 hours of sleep every night because there's just so much they have to do!
Clearly, there's something wrong with this picture.
or the picture is painted wrongly ??
In this article, I'll share my observations about how our obsession with tuition reveals deeper issues we face as a society—issues that go far beyond the pursuit of academic success.
The fear of failure starts with parents(not because the schools are no good nor because the schools don't teach as some parents like to over-generalise)
Parents send their children for tuition classes because they fear their children getting left behind(not because they are stupid). That's a reasonable fear, because it seems like every other student attends classes outside of school.
But the bigger fear that parents have is the fear of failure, not just for their children, but for themselves, too. (nothing to do with education system, everything to do with parents' attitude and mindset)
It's difficult to measure your performance as a parent, so parents often subconsciously gauge their success by how their children are doing in school.
Your child is a straight-A student? Then you must be doing a wonderful job!
Your child is struggling academically? Then you're failing as a parent.
Few parents verbalize it, but these thoughts are at the core of their decision to send their children for tuition classes. At the end of the day, no parent wants to feel like a failure. -- again it is parents, not school nor the system
What parents really want for their children
There are other implications, too. Parents' fear of failure gets passed on to their children, who grow up thinking that the best path is the one that's free from failure, risk and disappointment.
But is that really the best path? No, that's merely the good path, yet it's also the one that parents unintentionally push their children to pursue. A lot of the time, the best path is the one that's full of uncertainty and adversity.
That's why it's generally incorrect to say that parents want what's best for their children, because they usually only want what's good.
Be curious, not competitive
Moreover, parents who are fixated on their children's academic performance instill a spirit of competition in their children. In today's Information Age, however, what's needed in order to excel is a spirit of curiosity, rather than a spirit of competition.
There's an incredible amount of information available on the internet, which means that if you want to become knowledgeable in some field, you probably could. It just requires that you have enough genuine curiosity to compel you to look up the information online.
If students are caught up trying to compete with their peers and outperform them, it's difficult to cultivate a real love for learning and discovery—the things that form the basis of a meaningful education and of long-term success in the Information Age.
Success is more about will than skill (sure or not ? no skill with will power means that over time, the necessary skill is acquired, or acquired by spending a inordinate amount of time on it....sure, eventually succeed, with skill!)
Furthermore, if students feel like they're being forced to improve academically, there's a limit to how successful they can become. To achieve success—I'll go one step further and use the word \"greatness\"—in any field, you need to make a conscious decision to be great.
After all, no great pianist, athlete, engineer, doctor, mechanic, nurse or entrepreneur became that way without intentionally choosing the path of excellence.
You can't force anyone to become great. It's possible to force someone to become mediocre or even good, but greatness requires commitment.
If parents make their children go for tuition classes without also empowering them to take full responsibility for their own education, it's impossible for the children to become great students.
At the heart of it, greatness is much more a matter of will than it is of skill. Before we teach our students the skill of studying more effectively and of doing better on exams, we need to encourage them to make a deliberate choice about their education, their future and their life.
Tuition isn't a bad thing
Just to be clear, on its own, tuition isn't a horrible thing. I have no doubt that tuition classes can help children to become more disciplined, knowledgeable, hardworking and determined.
Nevertheless, if it's not done with the correct mindset, sending children for tuition classes can be dangerous.
It's possible that we're currently creating a generation of sleep-deprived, overworked, unfulfilled, and unhappy students. I fear that this generation of unhappy students is going to become a generation of unhappy workers and, later on, a generation of unhappy parents. so simplistic !
This is a problem we cannot ignore.
So whether you, as a parent, decide to send your children for tuition classes or not, I urge you to make that decision with the right perspective. Make sure your children understand that it's more important to finish well than it is to finish first.
The future of our country depends on it.
Daniel Wong is the author of \"The Happy Student: 5 Steps to Academic Fulfillment and Success\". He is also an education excellence coach and speaker. He writes regularly about topics related to education, career and personal development at Living Large.
i think i just joined the vks2010 fan club...
-
hokkiengirl:
Even though IP students do not sit for the O levels it doesn't mean that their internal exams are not rigorous. And if the students do badly, they will be counseled and retained if necessary. If a student consistently scores a GPA of <3.0 and still thinks that he will do well at A levels without additional effort and continues to cruise along, then he and his parents have some waking up to do.
Speaking from personal experience interacting with IP students, those who can survive and do well in IP need to be self-motivated to study and have the discipline to do the necessary work. I believe that the IP schools generally offer very good programmes. However, they do expect the students to do a fair bit of independent study and THINKING. Tests are mostly internal, so the student can actually cruise along in a false state of complacency even if they don't do well, as they will just move on to the next level. -
jtoh:
This is true.
Even though IP students do not sit for the O levels it doesn't mean that their internal exams are not rigorous. And if the students do badly, they will be counseled and retained if necessary. If a student consistently scores a GPA of <3.0 and still thinks that he will do well at A levels without additional effort and continues to cruise along, then he and his parents have some waking up to do.
In my experience, students who can't keep up are asked to leave the school and join a school with 'O' levels. This could be why at least one of the IP schools is thinking of starting 'O' level classes too... so that such students don't have to go through the trauma of expulsion. The IP exams also tend to be more difficult for each age group.
This said, I don't think hokkiengirl said anything about the exams being less rigorous... and I do buy hokkiengirl's point on independent learning and self-motivation. I've seen how kids with 26+ t-scores just fall behind because their t-scores came from over-tuition and over-pressure... and others will lower t-scores that just power ahead because they find the learning so fun. They wanted to learn. -
Chenonceau:
I know hokkiengirl didn't say IP exams were less rigorous. I wanted to point it out in case there are readers who have the impression that IP exams are walks in the park compared to the O levels.
This is true.jtoh:
Even though IP students do not sit for the O levels it doesn't mean that their internal exams are not rigorous. And if the students do badly, they will be counseled and retained if necessary. If a student consistently scores a GPA of <3.0 and still thinks that he will do well at A levels without additional effort and continues to cruise along, then he and his parents have some waking up to do.
In my experience, students who can't keep up are asked to leave the school and join a school with 'O' levels. This could be why at least one of the IP schools is thinking of starting 'O' level classes too... so that such students don't have to go through the trauma of expulsion. The IP exams also tend to be more difficult for each age group.
This said, I don't think hokkiengirl said anything about the exams being less rigorous. -
jtoh:
I know hokkiengirl didn't say IP exams were less rigorous. I wanted to point it out in case there are readers who have the impression that IP exams are walks in the park compared to the O levels.[/quote]Point taken... though I think this seems unlikely because of the reputation IP has... and the track record of stellar results at 'A' levels. But yeah... it bears the clarification just in case.
This is true.Chenonceau:
[quote=\"jtoh\"]
Even though IP students do not sit for the O levels it doesn't mean that their internal exams are not rigorous. And if the students do badly, they will be counseled and retained if necessary. If a student consistently scores a GPA of <3.0 and still thinks that he will do well at A levels without additional effort and continues to cruise along, then he and his parents have some waking up to do.
In my experience, students who can't keep up are asked to leave the school and join a school with 'O' levels. This could be why at least one of the IP schools is thinking of starting 'O' level classes too... so that such students don't have to go through the trauma of expulsion. The IP exams also tend to be more difficult for each age group.
This said, I don't think hokkiengirl said anything about the exams being less rigorous. -
Intermezzo:
In my view, the conclusion needs a bit more balance.
Bravo ~verykiasu2010:
yes, the conclusion is :- parents' mindset, not that the schools are all so hopeless, not that all the teachers don't teach, not that all the schools are testing beyond what was taught ....... it is all in the mindset of parents who cannot accept when their kids score lower than the peers. it is really a mindset problem of the parents, too small minded that they cannot accept the fact their kids' scores is just 0.000000001 lower than the next guy in t-score
i think i just joined the vks2010 fan club...
It isn't just the parents' mindset, but that the schools are some/many so hopeless, that some/many the teachers don't teach, that some/many the schools are testing beyond what was taught .......
But even if SOME teach badly... it is something to be fixed. You would accept that SOME of your Ichiban Sushi is not fresh?
People who have not had experience with schools that give poor quality education in Singapore should not make sweeping statements about how good the whole system and state that...verykiasu2010:
all in the mindset of parents who ... too small minded that they cannot accept the fact their kids' scores is just 0.000000001 lower than the next guy in t-score...
I've had experience with both sides of the coin, and find these 2 posts enlightening (and more balanced)...
http://hedgehogcomms.blogspot.sg/2012/06/education-stress-whose-fault.html
http://8percentpa.blogspot.sg/search/label/Education -
Hi Optimistforum,
I am referring to the 'English Language and Intelligence books from the UK, 50s and 60s'. Where can I get those books?
What are the Singaporean assessment books that you find them good ad useful? Care to share?
TIA.optimistforum:
Hi Melodies
By books, I meant current Singaporean assessment books. Also, English Language and Intelligence books from the UK, 50s and 60s. -
I beg to differ. In the very first place. All those IP schools have already accepted the cream of the top Singapore students. (I dare to say all top SG students are in IP). Of course, those bright and discipline students will do well no matter where you threw them in. There are those that are less discipline but they are bright, they may just cruise and move on to the next level, hence they are not prepared for A level.
verykiasu2010:
that is a very misleading statement. that is why I asked if they are so \"useless\" why then the IP graduates got most of the scholarships and got the most distinctions in H2 and H3 subjects, if the student can actually cruise along in a false state of complacency even if they don't do well, as they will just move on to the next level.Chenonceau:
I don't think hokkiengirl meant to say that IP is useless. She did qualify that it is a path that works well for independent and self-motivated learners... and then she qualified that... \"Tests are mostly internal, so the student can actually cruise along in a false state of complacency even if they don't do well, as they will just move on to the next level. That is very dangerous, as it means that they are not really prepared for anything at all.\"
-
tuition_czar:
One point to add: if you kept up with local current affairs, you would have seen reports of more IP students taking the IGCSE O levels in private, such that they have something to fall back on if things turn bad.
Yes, true. Dd was asking my advice if she should do so too. My answer is no need. My believe is since one has choosen this path, concentrate, focus and enjoy this path. If the result turn out to be bad, 天无绝人之路，there is always a way out somewhere. I am beginning to get pissed off with the elite system in our education. -
tuition_czar:
One point to add: if you kept up with local current affairs, you would have seen reports of more IP students taking the IGCSE O levels in private, such that they have something to fall back on if things turn bad.
The Straits Time article did point out that students were taking iGCSE O levels for different reasons. Among the reasons given were 1) to see where they stand; 2) to apply to foreign universities; 3) because they were interested in the subjects; and 4) as a fallback.
Also, based on stats given by the British Council which administers the iGCSE exams for private candidates here, of the private students who took the exams with them, only about 40 students were Singaporeans, mostly between the ages of 9 and 20.
So it's not a runaway figure of IP students taking the iGCSE O levels because they're worried they have no qualifications to fall back on.
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login