Asia spending billions on tutors: study
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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. -
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 -
I FULLY agree with Ms Wily Wan's reply ('S'pore way works, but only with tuition'; last Saturday) to Ms Yeo Boon Eng ('Tough Singapore way works'; last Wednesday).
Science tuition is a growing industry. At the start of the school year, parents like me are told by speakers from enrichment/tuition centres that our children will score only a passing mark in the subject for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) if they do not go for tuition.
This is not a reflection on the teachers, I hasten to say. Whereas the science textbooks they work with give minimal information on the examination topics, the questions asked in the PSLE are complex and wide-ranging.
Ironically, very little time is spent by pupils in the science laboratories trying out the concepts they are crammed with.
I am not a teacher but in my view, the science syllabus and the PSLE science examination should be revamped. Pupils should spend more time in the lab, and part of the marks should be awarded for conducting a number of experiments throughout the year.
We should not be complacent about the fact that Singapore students are ranked fourth in the world in science, or that other countries are debating whether to follow the Singapore way. After all, the credit for this most likely goes to the tuition centres.
Dev Nair (Mrs)
http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_822941.html -
MS WILY Wan's response last Saturday ('S'pore way works, but only with tuition') to Ms Yeo Boon Eng's letter ('Tough Singapore way works'; last Wednesday) hit the nail on the head.
Our education system does not necessarily facilitate social mobility; in fact, it has conversely led to a widening social stratification.
The elite schools are increasingly equipping the children of better-educated parents with the resources to give them a head start in life.
Having taught in mainstream schools as well as in the tuition industry, I can attest to the fact that most parents view tuition and enrichment classes as indispensable to giving their children that extra edge.
Most remain unconvinced that teachers in mainstream schools can focus purely on teaching, given the large class sizes and miscellaneous administrative duties that divert their attention from preparing lessons and monitoring their students' progress closely.
Parents prefer to hedge their bets by enrolling their children in tuition and enrichment classes should their school teachers fail to deliver.
If our schools are indeed excellent in teaching, the enrichment industry would not be flourishing at such a clip.
In fact, the more established institutions are recession-proof, regardless of the stiff fees they charge.
It is food for thought indeed for the Ministry of Education.
While schools are indeed striving to provide quality holistic education, they may have given classroom teaching short shrift in their haste to implement too many educational initiatives.
Lastly, Singapore's meritocratic system in itself has the unintended ill-effect of spurring intense competition, be it getting a place in a prestigious school through the direct school admission exercise or the national examinations, or clinching a scholarship.
It is ultimately a zero-sum game.
There is no denying the fact that better-off families have the decided leverage, especially if parents are willing to spare no expense in preparing their children for academic success.
Marietta Koh Ai-meng (Mrs)
http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_822962.html -
MS WILY Wan argues that the education system is unfairly crafted in a way that benefits wealthy parents who can afford to enrol their children in expensive tuition classes ('S'pore way works, but only with tuition'; last Saturday).
She implicitly links academic success with the amount of tuition a student receives.
It is indeed unacceptable if our education system is lopsided.
However, my experience as a student who has had tuition in secondary school, but not in primary school and junior college, tells me otherwise.
Every student has a fair chance of moving up the social ladder.
Success in our education system is not acutely dependent on extra tuition and enrichment lessons that wealthier parents can afford, but on a student's motivation and hard work.
There is simply no substitute for hard work, regardless of one's perceived 'tuition advantage'.
Students are free to book consultation slots with their teachers, and the weaker ones are identified early in the semester through tests so that they can receive extra attention via supplementary classes.
This is, in fact, also a form of privilege that all students receive in school, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds.
The teachers in the schools I attended often stayed behind - late into the night - to coach and help students who were otherwise unable to afford private tuition.
Their efforts are an academic leveller for the less privileged students.
While the well-to-do students have an advantage, it does not mean that those who are less well-off are being left out of the equation.
In addition, the growing tuition trend does not result from the decreased effectiveness of our education system. It is merely a reflection of parents' willingness to spend on their children's education, which is beneficial for the students if it does not impede their learning in other holistic aspects.
Schools, community centres and religious organisations are also providing cheaper or even free tuition by volunteers with respectable credentials.
Ms Wan also suggested that it would be interesting to see how our students who have not had external tutoring would fare in international education rankings.
Well, without tuition, I managed to obtain five As in the A-level exams. I am not extraordinarily clever, and there are many others like me.
Tuition does not guarantee success, only sheer motivation and hard work will.
Nicholas Lee
http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_822972.html -
Lynn2010:
From what i know - the Australians do. But only for the subjects they are really bad.... that is eg. failing. For us, 90 marks still must have tuition as it should be 95 marks at least (may be 100%) :evil:Melodies:
Do westerners spend money in tuition too?
If not, then Asean is more kiasu lo :siam:
Aussies don't Asians are more Kiasu: whether in Singapore or Australia they are simply more kiasu..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-oiJuwo4ew
pls try to watch it half way through cause the first half is all about the Tiger mum.. -
limlim:
Thank you limlim, for that point. I will add an additional topic to cover your point, which is fundamental to the entire poll, so it will be the first topic.I always wanted to say this.. now is the opportunity.... :evil:
If MOE wants to raise the bar, it is absolutely fine, provided that they have the resources, capability and the will, to raise the platform for ALL kids.
BASC for al kids, PCF kindy education with the necessary skills etc..
And not cause some kids to be disadvantaged, just bcoz their parents cannot afford or don't know how to, get them a pricey stepping stone, to help them reach for the bar that was raised again, and again. Also wouldn't it also be extraneous burden on the kids to have to carry a heavy stepping stone with them at such a young age? even if the parents can afford it.
The higher the bar, the thicker the stepping stone, the heavier it is.
Singapore has a world-class education system
a) Yes. The high exacting standards our system expects will provide Singaporeans the edge in the face of increased global competition for the next few decades
b) Yes. Parents should be grateful that their children are in a system that is admired and emulated by other countries
c) No. The system is too focused on meritocracy based on academic results, with too little effort spent on promoting and lauding character building, self-motivation and cognitive decision-making processes involving social contexts.
d) No. The system is too stressful for our children, leading to high social costs of increased delinquent behavior or psychological problems. -
ChiefKiasu:
It's not the same..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.
Take for e.g. the P1 English assignment. A kid well versed in English could read and maybe understand the instructions, and proceed to do the assignment (I'm not talking about grades). A kid who is weak in English may not understand the instructions or they may totally catch no balls what the teacher says in prefect English in class.. and could only stare at the paper not knowing what to do.
Just bcoz 50% or 70% of the kids can understand, does it means the teacher can take away the \"spoon feeding\" of the 10%~20% of kids who lacked the language ability to effectively decipher what the teacher is talking about?
Should the school make sure all the kids are reasonably capable of reading instructions before an assignment requiring such an ability be given out? That is my main concern. -
verykiasu2010:
There is lots of merit in this letter.. as well as Ms Wily Wan's
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.
http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_822942.html
That is why, I am always talking about control and regulation of the tuition industry. How to do is one thing lah.. first, we must decide whether to look into it.
Also, I feel, the high standards should start from Sec school. where student could be matured enough to have the means to seek information or resources when they see the need to.
Not at Primary level where likely a lot of spoon feeding is necessary, esp in the area of acquiring knowledge and education. -
Hi limlim,
Thanks for explaining.
My hubby is presently coaching a boy in P3 for Math. The boy has been failing english for CA and SA. What i wish to bring across is this - hubby wants him to write the final statement for Math prob sums…for eg, ‘there are 20 children altogether’, but the boy is not able to express himself.
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