Real reason behind Singapore’s obsession with tuition

[verykiasu2010]

janet_lee88:

Hi Chenonceau,

My son hasn't gone to sec school yet...so I do not know much about it.
Neighbour's son in Sec 1 told me no more models (Math), algebra is the way to go. English is not taught...no textbook either.

1) Are primary school teachers trained to teach ?
2) Can primary school teachers equip P6 students knowledge to do well for PSLE ?
3) If the answer to both questions is YES, then why do our kids have to go for tuition ?

1. yes
2. yes
3. because kiasu parents scared to lose out to the next kid who may score higher than own kid - scared to lose face, scared the child cannot get into preferred school, scared to lose bragging rights among relatives during CNY dinner .... the list goes on

ok I am not Chen

[cherryc]

I was told some teachers from good schools like nanyang pri go home earlier and happily. So maybe the school environment does breed good nurturing teachers and better students. And maybe the teachers have more time to prepare materials, all maybe after all, the kids are just rich enough to attend the elitist tuitions or have well-educated parents to teach them.

[cherryc]

I was told some teachers from good schools like nanyang pri go home earlier and happily. So maybe the school environment does breed good nurturing teachers and better students. And maybe the teachers have more time to prepare materials, all maybe after all, the kids are just rich enough to attend the elitist tuitions or have well-educated parents to teach them.

[Chenonceau]

verykiasu2010:

janet_lee88:

Hi Chenonceau,

My son hasn't gone to sec school yet...so I do not know much about it.
Neighbour's son in Sec 1 told me no more models (Math), algebra is the way to go. English is not taught...no textbook either.

1) Are primary school teachers trained to teach ?
2) Can primary school teachers equip P6 students knowledge to do well for PSLE ?
3) If the answer to both questions is YES, then why do our kids have to go for tuition ?

1. yes
2. yes
3. because kiasu parents scared to lose out to the next kid who may score higher than own kid - scared to lose face, scared the child cannot get into preferred school, scared to lose bragging rights among relatives during CNY dinner .... the list goes on

ok I am not Chen

I think Teachers have training coming out their ears. Unless systems and processes to manage workload and scope change... even the best teachers cannot cope... and the very poor Teachers... well... they have no domain mastery to prepare child for school exams, let alone PSLE.

[Chenonceau]

cherryc:

I was told some teachers from good schools like nanyang pri go home earlier and happily. So maybe the school environment does breed good nurturing teachers and better students. And maybe the teachers have more time to prepare materials, all maybe after all, the kids are just rich enough to attend the elitist tuitions or have well-educated parents to teach them.

That's just it! We should stop blaming the Teachers. Good organisations get good performance out of average and poor performers. They don't just point the finger at Teachers and say \"They're incompetent\" and at parents and say \"They're kiasu\".

[cherryc]

verykiasu2010:

3. because kiasu parents scared to lose out to the next kid who may score higher than own kid - scared to lose face, scared the child cannot get into preferred school, scared to lose bragging rights among relatives during CNY dinner .... the list goes on

What if we tell you we are not , would you believe us ? My friends and I do not compare to the next person, but I am only worried as a whole generation, we lost out to the external environment if WE ALL go off the wrong track. Many parents have other means to send their kids overseas etc and they may do as well if not better. I would appreciate all those with successful careers and successful kids to share their experience instead to fill up the gaps in the education system.

From the link :

http://singaporemind.blogspot.sg/2012/03/importance-of-expectations-in-education.html

\"\"You think about it ...does it make sense to put our children through this intense competition in education only to have them lose out when it comes to university places and jobs to foreigners later on? The whole system puts Singaporeans on a treadmill to no where. The intense competition in the school system merely serve to push down our own children into pigeon holes of declining expectations to enter a workforce in which they have little edge over some one from Philippines, China or India. This whole system is not about making the Singaporeans better than everyone else but making the Singaporean as bad as everyone else.\"\"

[autumnbronze]

Ok dunno whether this if :offtopic: ornot but will share this.


Think I may have mentioned this before.

My DS1 is in K1. My MIL, a tutor for many moons herself, is obsessed with preparing my son with P1 stuff NOW. Her reason?? \"The competition, the competition\" ... she has been duly influenced by the parents of her pupils.

I am at my wits end. Its a losing battle for me cuz my DS is not stressed, but rather enjoys being nourished academically. My DH was also prepared before entering P1. But he burnt out a little. And he was bored in class. Thank goodness he was not disruptive.

So what am I doing about it?? Teaching and reminding him (preparing him for the future) to be considerate and helpful in class. What else can I do

[Chenonceau]

autumnbronze:

Ok dunno whether this if :offtopic: ornot but will share this.


Think I may have mentioned this before.

My DS1 is in K1. My MIL, a tutor for many moons herself, is obsessed with preparing my son with P1 stuff NOW. Her reason?? \"The competition, the competition\" ... she has been duly influenced by the parents of her pupils.

I am at my wits end. Its a losing battle for me cuz my DS is not stressed, but rather enjoys being nourished academically. My DH was also prepared before entering P1. But he burnt out a little. And he was bored in class. Thank goodness he was not disruptive.

So what am I doing about it?? Teaching and reminding him (preparing him for the future) to be considerate and helpful in class. What else can I do

I ain't best to give advice because I was stressed last year when DS is in P5. What I did do in Lower Primary was to look past all his lousy grades and encourage him to explore learning in directions that enthused him. He read a great deal.

The exposure to a wide variety of knowledge domains has stood us in good stead for PSLE Science, English and Math... Memorably, we borrowed a video called the Invention of Zero. He loved that and explored numbers etc... enthousiastically from that springboard... We messed with stuff in the kitchen and made things explode. All excellent preparation for the \"competition\" but so FUN!

But in P5, I still got a shock... but thanks to the wide-ranging exploration of the early years, we can catch up and turn things around quite fast. Of course, I did not know it would come in useful for PSLE... but I am glad God knew and ordered my steps before I realised what I needed to do.

Just play around with learning. It all comes together at PSLE.

[Binanti]

Nonetheless, there are also responsible parents whose kids don't even watch TV, let alone play computer games nonstop and much more..... this is parents responsibility to handle the childrens and show then the right path........


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[Binanti]

Hi,

smart kids who were praised when they played e.g. video games well will soon get addicted to it and before the parents realise it, they are inextricable from the addiction, casing much harm and conflict in the parent-child relationship, and all coaching and tuition for studies are just pouring money down the drain as the heart is on the games not on the books.It is certainly a path many parents are hoping for instead of \"alternative paths\" and \"we cannot stop parents from sending their kids to tuition\".


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