Asia spending billions on tutors: study

[Busymom]

Yes, and in addition to what W2G has written, are we taking a poll on tuition or tuition/enrichment?


I think some parents think that enrichment is not the same as tuition.

[Busymom]

Chief, could you expand on question 3, like how the industry ought to be regulated? At the moment, it is like an open-ended question and being regulated could mean a lot of different things to different people.

[Busymom]

Chenonceau:

janet_lee88:

[quote=\"Chenonceau\"]

He is still teaching? After how many years?

Yeah...he is still an adjunct teacher. Teaching technical subjects...he must have been in the school for about 3 years already.

Ok lah... adjunct teacher... ok... not an untrained full teacher. Adjunct teachers do strengthen the system by helping out full teachers. This is good, no? Or do I misunderstand the role of Adjunct? Adjuncts get to teach full classes and be wholly responsible for full classes?[/quote]Apologies, could someone explain what is an adjunct teacher?

[autumnbronze]

Busymom:

Apologies, could someone explain what is an adjunct teacher?

Maybe this might help, sista

http://www.moe.gov.sg/careers/teach/applying/adjunct/

[Busymom]

Thanks, sista.


This is what I read from the MOE web:

Eligibility

Applicants applying to be Contract Adjunct Teachers must be ex-MOE teachers, or retiring/retired teachers. They are subjected to the same appointment requirements and conditions applicable to our local contract teachers.

Applicants applying to be Flexi-Adjunct Teachers must be registered as relief teachers first, and must be trained teachers.

And also:

Contract Adjunct Teachers Programme

* Employed on contract for 1 year. The contract expiry date would be in May or December, to minimise disruption to the school and the students
* Duties of the contract adjunct teacher are to be arranged between school and applicant
* Eligible for service benefits, except professional development opportunities
* Eligible for full, 3/4, 2/3, or 1/2 workload
* Workload can be changed on a per-semester basis, subject to the approval of their principal
* With effect from Jan 2009, contract adjunct teachers will be excluded from the annual ranking exercise. They will be assessed separately by their Principals for contract renewal.

Could this be the reason why they may not be sent for training by the principals?

[Funz]

There are adjunct teachers and relief teachers and relief educators. Adjunct and relief teachers are trained qualified teachers. Adjunct teachers can and often do take classes on their own. DS’s form teacher is an adjunct teacher.


Relief educators may not have a teaching qualification and will normally be taking subjects like Art, Music, etc. Basically non-core subjects I guess.

[ChiefKiasu]

buds:

You're not Chief for nothin'..


A poll would be good too.

Thank u buds

[ChiefKiasu]

Way2GO:

Chief, is ur post gonna be set up with d options format u indicated in ur last post ?

N pollsters can only choose one of d options listed?
My problem if dat is d format adopted is dat it may not capture d complete picture fr pollsters.
Eg in item 1, my answer wld include 1a), 1b). & 1c).
according to my take on dis issue:
...

Yes, it will be a multi-choice poll. Pollsters will be able to select more than 1 option for each topic.

Please let me know if there should be more topics or options to be added. I will set up the poll to start this Thursday.

[ChiefKiasu]

janet_lee88:

I would like to add this. Not many kids can reach for the bar...just when they are close to do so, the bar is raised again because kids at the top have touched the bar.

This would be a different topic. You are saying that MOE keeps shifting the target for our kids. I will construct the question as:

Does MOE keep moving the targets for our children?
a) Yes. The syllabus of some/many subjects keep getting revised to include more complex concepts.
b) No. Students are given a fixed syllabus and clear statement on what they are to learn and achieve for each subject at least 2 years before they are tested on the subjects.

[verykiasu2010]

STUDENTS receive the same standard of education in local schools, although it is undeniable that their results will vary due to natural differences ('S'pore way works, but only with tuition' by Ms Wily Wan, last Saturday; in reply to my letter, 'Tough Singapore way works'; last Wednesday).


The need for tuition arises from the fact that some parents expect their children to excel, regardless of their innate abilities. Over the years, their expectations have changed - parents now expect their children to score As instead of simply passing. Few students require tuition to pass examinations, and many do not require tuition to excel.

With so much time allocated to tuition by parents, children cannot find the time to enjoy their childhood. How can the blame be placed on our education system then?

If the curriculum were to be simplified or examination results adjusted such that most students can score distinctions without any assistance, then the potential of those who can cope with the present system will not be stretched and top students cannot be identified.

Will this situation be of any good to Singapore? We will only be deceiving ourselves as the quality of students remains the same, if not worse.

Education is not only competition in the local context - we are also competing with the world. What is the point of simplifying the curriculum, only to lose out on jobs in today's globalised world?

Furthermore, if the curriculum is too easy, those who can afford to do so will switch to a more realistic curriculum offered by international schools, leaving the majority behind and thus decreasing social mobility.

In this case, instead of tuition centres, we will see private schools mushrooming. Do we really want to have a system in which public schools offer a curriculum that is inferior to that of private schools?

It saddens me that Singaporeans are unappreciative of our meritocratic education system that provides ample opportunities for social mobility, at a time when many countries envy us for it.

Yeo Boon Eng (Ms)

http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_822942.html