Asia spending billions on tutors: study

[3Boys]

limlim:

But, the effect of the tuition and enrichment industry on the overall quality of education delivered by MOE, is WHAT we are concerned about.

And do you ANY data to show that the quality of education in our schools have been eroded by the presence of tuition centres?

Don't talk about parents who keep asking for more and more, and the teachers then asking them to go for tuition on that basis, it is not the role of schools to substitute for high intensity hot-housing.

[3Boys]

limlim:

ksi:

Maybe I am not seeing what you can see. Can you share what is to be regulated?

1. Advertisement guidelines. Excessive advertisement can make parent's \"worry\" that everyone's kids is having tuition and their kids may fall behind if they do not (something along that line). worst is false claim and some advertisement content that can mislead parents, that tuition is essential and necessary.

for e.g. if cigarettes manufacturer can advertise, they may project a glamorous image with smoking, and lead misguided individuals to the wrong path.

2. Regulating means maybe require license to operation enrichment/tuition centers. And a requirement is to submit the particulars of students and their schools. This data can then correlate to the % of student of each school attending tuition as a KPI for schools and teachers. This data would also be useful to parents when they decide on a primary school.

Some parents may have the mistaken belief that a particular school is good becoz the teachers are good, when the truth is that the students all attended external lessons.

Isn't this enlightening for the parent and help them make an informed choice?

Makes not one whit of difference to me.

[oxyleo]

ksi:

oxyleo:

[quote=\"ksi\"]I too do not believe in regulating the tuition industry. It is all about demand and supply. The demand will diminish significantly if the majority of the children are not finding it hard to keep up with the standards and enjoy learning. However, if majority of the parents are rich and want to put their children to enrichment or tuition just to push them to a grade that they expect, then that is their call and their self-imposed stress.


The words in bold is a problem statement, if the demand persists due to majority finding it hard to cope.

If we do want MOE to do anything, it should be something within their span of control such as the teachers and the school, not the tuition industry nor the parents' aspirations.

I also believe in us keeping our education standards high but how high is high? In today's context, some of the accelerated learning could be stretching the children too much until they are lack in sleep and often falling ill. The schools and teachers have expectations as well so streaming kind of limit the stress to the high ability classes. We need to look out for such symptoms. My personal guide is my child must have at least 9-10 hours of sleep, no dark rings, no eye bags, running about cheerfully daily with a stress less face and fall ill at most 5 times a year. Then I know the rigours of academic is not taking a toll on her.

So if we really want to understand if the children are coping in Singapore, just walk around and look at their faces and observe what you see in the majority.

I agree with wonderm that it is not possible to ban tuition altogether, but I do not see why we cannot regulate the industry. Not to stamp it out, but to ensure good/ ethical business practices in line with what is expected of educators, both public and private perhaps?

Maybe I am not seeing what you can see. Can you share what is to be regulated?[/quote]Hi ksi,

Yes \"regulation\" is a very broad word, so perhaps we can narrow it down to something softer, lighter, and along the principle of self-regulation, so to speak. I'm thinking more along the lines of an association, with members made up by the tuition centres and individual tutors. The association gets some funding, if deemed appropriate, by MOE, which then co-assists the association's lead members in sharing and encouraging best practices, offers certification etc

Take a look at the role/mission/ code of practice adopted by these two associations for banks and retailers respectively, in Singapore:

http://www.abs.org.sg/aboutus_management.php

http://www.retail.org.sg/

What we have then is a promotion of best practices across members- the tuition agencies and tutors, and a soft approach towards encouraging a code of practices. Some good practices, like not Misrepresenting/ falsifying claims, with slightly more definition, can be applied to Tuition centres.

In fact, the tuition industry may also mirror what is carried out in the broader business world. Businesses get recognized for doing their part in the area of Corporate Social responsibility , and are awarded by business associations. The aim of this is to remind organizations to not just focus on profit and numbers, but also to contribute to the greater good. In education, a good educator embraces 有教无类, which means the willingness to teach anyone who is willing to learn. This tuition association could certainly recognize and give awards/ accolades to tutors/ tuition centres who teach not just high achieving/ gep kids, but also the needy for free/ at subsidized rates, and teach all categories of children, vs those that only want to teach the creme ala creme. (Ahem)

Let's remember that the users of the tuition centres are mere children, some starting as young as 2-3 years of age and upwards. If there is any other place that requires service providers to be exemplary in good practices, the tuition industry ought to be one of them.

Swim/ sports coaches themselves join the Singapore Sports Council for certification, I believe. Not sure if it's mandatory though. I recall years back when a swim coach was tried in court for something along the lines of molestation/indecency, some parents, who had children learning under this coach, queried as to why he was allowed to continue teaching when he was already under investigation. It was then discovered that he was not certified unde SSC, which would otherwise have flagged him out (assuming no admin hiccups).

[limlim]

3Boys:

limlim:

But, the effect of the tuition and enrichment industry on the overall quality of education delivered by MOE, is WHAT we are concerned about.

And do you ANY data to show that the quality of education in our schools have been eroded by the presence of tuition centres?

Don't talk about parents who keep asking for more and more, and the teachers then asking them to go for tuition on that basis, it is not the role of schools to substitute for high intensity hot-housing.

No Data doesn't mean it is not a problem.

Does the govt produce ANY data before CRA was set up? If you do not have a dept for that, how are you going to produce DATA?

pre-empt, or wait until the damage is beyond repair?

I am not talking about High intensity hot housing. I am concerned with the CORE education.

Like I said, those kiasu parent going for tuition for high scores, let them be.

We must ensure that core education program must not be negativity affected by the booming tuition industry.

[limlim]

3Boys:

Makes not one whit of difference to me.

Teachers allowed to moonlight outside giving tuition and possible neglect the school students. Does it make a difference for you?

[KSP]

Tuition, please


http://www.edvantage.com.sg/edvantage/news/schoolnews/1193528/Tuition_please.html

The New Paper | Tue Jul 10 2012


Five days a week without fail, this 15-year-old student goes for extra lessons after school.

And over the weekend, her only forms of leisure are a one-hour swimming class on Saturday evenings and a two-hour church session on Sunday mornings.

Other than meal times, it is one tuition class after another for Kimberly Lee, a Secondary 3 student in a neighbourhood school in the east.

Yet her housewife mother, Mrs Lee Im Chuan, does not feel that her daughter is having excessive tuition.

Mrs Lee, 50, says in a mix of Mandarin and English: \"If not for the extra help, my girl will not be able to cope with her studies.\"

\"It's not a case of being kiasi or kiasu, but it can be dire consequences if my girl fails her O-level exams,\" she says in exasperation.

Not that Kimberly is doing badly - she topped her cohort in Secondary 1and 2.

And for the first semestral examinations this year, she came in second.

But Mrs Lee is still unhappy. She says: \"See, this is what happens after I agree to cut one of her tuition classes - she ended up with a B3 for science (physics).\"

Needless to say, tuition in science for Kimberly has resumed since the June school holidays.

Which she is grateful for and \"appreciates tremendously\", says Kimberly.

\"Some of my friends laugh at me and think I'm being nerdy or dumb - depending on which way you want to see it - but I don't mind.\"

She adds: \"Without the tuition classes, I don't think I'd be able to cope with my school work, much less think about topping my class.

\"As it is, I was very disappointed that I didn't do well for my PSLE and couldn't get into any of my first four choices.\"

She had an aggregate score of 200 for the PSLE.

\"I appreciate that my dad (who is a private bus driver) and my mum are willing to sacrifice their own needs so that they can set aside the $1,200-odd (tuition) fees,\" Kimberly says.

\"In any case, I don't mind the hours because it means I'm using my time carefully and wisely.\"

And it's not only Singaporean parents such as Mrs Lee who are spending big money on tutors.

An Asian Development Bank study published on Wednesday, shows that Asian parents have spent billions of dollars on private tutors for their children.

Singapore spent US$680million in 2008 (S$865 million), while Japan spent US$12 billion, and the practice is growing despite doubts over its effectiveness, the report said.

In South Korea, nearly nine out of 10 elementary school pupils have private tutoring, while the figure for primary school children in India's West Bengal state is six out of 10.

The report added that extra academic work is aimed at helping slow learners and supporting high achievers, and is seen by many Asian parents as a constructive wayfor adolescents to spend their spare time.

This, however, can reduce time for sports and other activities important for well-rounded development, as well as cause social tensions since richer families are able to pay for better-quality tutoring, the study says.

Mrs Kim Soo Ri, a South Korean mother, spends about US$800 on tuition for her only child, a nine-year-old boy.

Mrs Kim, 40, a restaurant manager in Seoul, says in English: \"The elementary school here does not offer very good English classes, so I pay for a British tutor to teach my son.

\"I hope we can move out of here (Seoul) if my son can get a place in one of the Singapore schools.\"

The New Paper on Sunday randomly polled 100 students from primary school (Primary 6) to junior college at Bishan MRT station on Friday, and 62 per cent ofthem said they have tuition.

The majority said they pay for extra help because they are weak in a subject.

Miss Chen,who declines to give her full name,is an exception to these cases.

Despite consistently scoring As for maths, she has been taking tuition in the subject since she was in Secondary 1.

The Raffles Institution (Junior College) student has done so after all her classmates started going for tuition - she wanted to be part of the \"in\" crowd.

Says the 18-year-old: \"I really like maths and I felt left out as everyone else was going for tuition classes.\"

Naval Base Secondary School student Jasper Tan, 16, is more representative of his peers.

He says:\"My foundation in English is not strong and I'm taking the O levels this year, that's why I'm having tuition.\"

Yet, there others who do it because they lack the self discipline to do it on their own - their parents pay for a \"baby sitter\".

Brian Lim, 16,from Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School, admits to being \"lazy\" and that is why he is being tutored in chemistry and maths.

He admits: \"Having a tuition teacher in front of me forces me to practise.\"

Topping the tuition list in Singapore appears to be maths and Chinese.

Modular Education Centre's manager Helen Phoon, 54, told TNP that tuition for the two subjects is highly sought after.

Says Ms Phoon: \"Chinese is very important at the PSLE because if you don't do well, you can't enter the popular secondary schools.

\"As for mathematics - it's very challenging - many schools set exams at a standard that is higher than what they teach their students, so they come for tuition.\"

Retired teacher Ho Kong Loon, 65, says: \"There's no need for tuition if the student is doing well. \"The trouble is parents demand it because they want their kids to do well, and schools tolerate it because they want their rankings to go up.\"

National University of Singapore sociologist Paulin Straughan agrees.

Those who continue with tuition despite improved grades will have a \"crutch mentality\", says the associate professor.

\"It's not healthy because a child is not realising his or her potential,\" she maintains. \"Where is the independence to achieve things on their own?\"

Mr Ho adds that if students are not interested or motivated to have tuition, \"any improvement (in grades) will be marginal\".

Some students says they take tuition to score even better marks, or to beat the system.

Brian Foo, 18, a National Junior College student, who has tuition in economics and maths, says: \"A tutor helps you tackle hard questions (and teaches you) how to manipulate the content of what you've learnt to answer the question.\"

His reason does not surprise Associate Professor Straughan as \"enrichment classes and tuition centres serve to teach students to be exam-smart, rather than independent thinkers\".

As for those who do not take tuition, many of them feel it is unnecessary as they can do without it.

Dylan Wong, 15, from Whitley Secondary School, says: \"There's already too much homework from school. Having tuition will add to the stress.\"

Melvin Chia, 16, also from Whitley Secondary School, admits that he cannot afford to have tuition.

But he says: \"The teachers in my school are good and they are willing to help.\"

That should be the way to go as \"schools are already providing supplementary and remedial lessons\", says Mr Ho.

Tuition centres, however, serve to create \"anxiety\" in parents, Associate Professor Straughan believes.

She says: \"Parents have become insecure - it's not good enough to pass exams any more - you have to be in the top 10 or 1 per cent.

\"Why? Because our education system has become too competitive with all the elite tracks that we've created.

\"And we've invested so much in our children, equating advanced education with upward mobility for the family - all this is fuelling the tuition industry and stressing the child.\"

http://static.edvantage.com.sg/site/servlet/linkableblob/edvantage/1193528/topImage/Tuition_please-topImage.jpg\">

This article was first published in The New Paper.

[3Boys]

limlim:

3Boys:

[quote=\"limlim\"]
But, the effect of the tuition and enrichment industry on the overall quality of education delivered by MOE, is WHAT we are concerned about.

And do you ANY data to show that the quality of education in our schools have been eroded by the presence of tuition centres?

Don't talk about parents who keep asking for more and more, and the teachers then asking them to go for tuition on that basis, it is not the role of schools to substitute for high intensity hot-housing.

No Data doesn't mean it is not a problem.

Does the govt produce ANY data before CRA was set up? If you do not have a dept for that, how are you going to produce DATA?

pre-empt, or wait until the damage is beyond repair?

I am not talking about High intensity hot housing. I am concerned with the CORE education.

Like I said, those kiasu parent going for tuition for high scores, let them be.

We must ensure that core education program must not be negativity affected by the booming tuition industry.[/quote]So in lieu of data, MY anecdotal feel is that the schools are delivering far more content these days, and more effectively, then when I was schooling. For the same level of ability at entry, they are coming out with more knowledge and skills than in my day. That is MY data, and therefore, I don't see that there is a problem.

[verykiasu2010]

KSP:

Tuition, please


http://www.edvantage.com.sg/edvantage/news/schoolnews/1193528/Tuition_please.html

The New Paper | Tue Jul 10 2012


Five days a week without fail, this 15-year-old student goes for extra lessons after school.

And over the weekend, her only forms of leisure are a one-hour swimming class on Saturday evenings and a two-hour church session on Sunday mornings.

Other than meal times, it is one tuition class after another for Kimberly Lee, a Secondary 3 student in a neighbourhood school in the east.

Yet her housewife mother, Mrs Lee Im Chuan, does not feel that her daughter is having excessive tuition.

Mrs Lee, 50, says in a mix of Mandarin and English: \"If not for the extra help, my girl will not be able to cope with her studies.\"

\"It's not a case of being kiasi or kiasu, but it can be dire consequences if my girl fails her O-level exams,\" she says in exasperation.

Not that Kimberly is doing badly - she topped her cohort in Secondary 1and 2.

And for the first semestral examinations this year, she came in second.

But Mrs Lee is still unhappy. She says: \"See, this is what happens after I agree to cut one of her tuition classes - she ended up with a B3 for science (physics).\"

Needless to say, tuition in science for Kimberly has resumed since the June school holidays.

Which she is grateful for and \"appreciates tremendously\", says Kimberly.

\"Some of my friends laugh at me and think I'm being nerdy or dumb - depending on which way you want to see it - but I don't mind.\"

She adds: \"Without the tuition classes, I don't think I'd be able to cope with my school work, much less think about topping my class.

\"As it is, I was very disappointed that I didn't do well for my PSLE and couldn't get into any of my first four choices.\"

She had an aggregate score of 200 for the PSLE.

\"I appreciate that my dad (who is a private bus driver) and my mum are willing to sacrifice their own needs so that they can set aside the $1,200-odd (tuition) fees,\" Kimberly says.

\"In any case, I don't mind the hours because it means I'm using my time carefully and wisely.\"

And it's not only Singaporean parents such as Mrs Lee who are spending big money on tutors.

An Asian Development Bank study published on Wednesday, shows that Asian parents have spent billions of dollars on private tutors for their children.

Singapore spent US$680million in 2008 (S$865 million), while Japan spent US$12 billion, and the practice is growing despite doubts over its effectiveness, the report said.

In South Korea, nearly nine out of 10 elementary school pupils have private tutoring, while the figure for primary school children in India's West Bengal state is six out of 10.

The report added that extra academic work is aimed at helping slow learners and supporting high achievers, and is seen by many Asian parents as a constructive way for adolescents to spend their spare time.

This, however, can reduce time for sports and other activities important for well-rounded development, as well as cause social tensions since richer families are able to pay for better-quality tutoring, the study says.

Mrs Kim Soo Ri, a South Korean mother, spends about US$800 on tuition for her only child, a nine-year-old boy.

Mrs Kim, 40, a restaurant manager in Seoul, says in English: \"The elementary school here does not offer very good English classes, so I pay for a British tutor to teach my son.

\"I hope we can move out of here (Seoul) if my son can get a place in one of the Singapore schools.\" oh no !

The New Paper on Sunday randomly polled 100 students from primary school (Primary 6) to junior college at Bishan MRT station on Friday, and 62 per cent of them said they have tuition.

The majority said they pay for extra help because they are weak in a subject.

Miss Chen,who declines to give her full name,is an exception to these cases.

Despite consistently scoring As for maths, she has been taking tuition in the subject since she was in Secondary 1.

The Raffles Institution (Junior College) student has done so after all her classmates started going for tuition - she wanted to be part of the \"in\" crowd.

Says the 18-year-old: \"I really like maths and I felt left out as everyone else was going for tuition classes.\"

Naval Base Secondary School student Jasper Tan, 16, is more representative of his peers.

He says:\"My foundation in English is not strong and I'm taking the O levels this year, that's why I'm having tuition.\"

Yet, there others who do it because they lack the self discipline to do it on their own - their parents pay for a \"baby sitter\".

Brian Lim, 16,from Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School, admits to being \"lazy\" and that is why he is being tutored in chemistry and maths.

He admits: \"Having a tuition teacher in front of me forces me to practise.\"

Topping the tuition list in Singapore appears to be maths and Chinese.

Modular Education Centre's manager Helen Phoon, 54, told TNP that tuition for the two subjects is highly sought after.

Says Ms Phoon: \"Chinese is very important at the PSLE because if you don't do well, you can't enter the popular secondary schools.

\"As for mathematics - it's very challenging - many schools set exams at a standard that is higher than what they teach their students, so they come for tuition.\"

Retired teacher Ho Kong Loon, 65, says: \"There's no need for tuition if the student is doing well. \"The trouble is parents demand it because they want their kids to do well, and schools tolerate it because they want their rankings to go up.\"

National University of Singapore sociologist Paulin Straughan agrees.

Those who continue with tuition despite improved grades will have a \"crutch mentality\", says the associate professor.

\"It's not healthy because a child is not realising his or her potential,\" she maintains. \"Where is the independence to achieve things on their own?\"

Mr Ho adds that if students are not interested or motivated to have tuition, \"any improvement (in grades) will be marginal\".

Some students says they take tuition to score even better marks, or to beat the system.

Brian Foo, 18, a National Junior College student, who has tuition in economics and maths, says: \"A tutor helps you tackle hard questions (and teaches you) how to manipulate the content of what you've learnt to answer the question.\"

His reason does not surprise Associate Professor Straughan as \"enrichment classes and tuition centres serve to teach students to be exam-smart, rather than independent thinkers\".

As for those who do not take tuition, many of them feel it is unnecessary as they can do without it.

Dylan Wong, 15, from Whitley Secondary School, says: \"There's already too much homework from school. Having tuition will add to the stress.\"

Melvin Chia, 16, also from Whitley Secondary School, admits that he cannot afford to have tuition.

But he says: \"The teachers in my school are good and they are willing to help.\"

That should be the way to go as \"schools are already providing supplementary and remedial lessons\", says Mr Ho.

Tuition centres, however, serve to create \"anxiety\" in parents, Associate Professor Straughan believes.

She says: \"Parents have become insecure - it's not good enough to pass exams any more - you have to be in the top 10 or 1 per cent.

\"Why? Because our education system has become too competitive with all the elite tracks that we've created.

\"And we've invested so much in our children, equating advanced education with upward mobility for the family - all this is fuelling the tuition industry and stressing the child.\"


This article was first published in The New Paper.

emphasis added

[Busymom]

limlim:

3Boys:

[quote=\"autumnbronze\"]
Just started reading from pg1.

So what should the state do then, since it's a social problem?? Come up with YET another 'fine' :evil: :evil:

I honestly find it very befuddling why in this era when people are railing AGAINST a nanny state, that the same people are asking for even MORE government intervention. Shed those apron strings, for heaven's sake.

When they remove the casino entrance levy and all the restrictions on heartland shuttle bus services, then we talk about not being a nanny state.[/quote]How can gambling and going for tuition be compared on the same basis? :?

One can become an addiction and potentially break up a family, the other... :scratchhead:

[verykiasu2010]

Busymom:

How can gambling and going for tuition be compared on the same basis? :?

One can become an addiction and potentially break up a family, the other... :scratchhead:

people can become addicted to tuition because they feel empty and use-less when there is no tuition, don't know how to occupy their time, suffer withdrawal symptom, and it can break up a family's piggy bank