KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Private tuition: Why Singapore education can't do without it

Even students in the same class come from different home environments, comprehend and remember at different speeds, develop at different rates, are receptive to different styles of teaching, and troubled by different emotional and social problems. They are not recording machines in which technicians use some standard method to input knowledge.

In school, every teacher has to teach many students, besides having other duties. He may be well trained and dedicated, but there is only so much he can do. A qualified and caring personal private tutor is a must for many, especially in languages and mathematics.

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/S ... 15992.html

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Most of the top school students do not need private tuition as they are willing to spend hours every day on doing revision and pratice. So attitude determines everything in fact.

hometutors.sg wrote:Private tuition: Why Singapore education can't do without it

In school, every teacher has to teach many students, besides having other duties. He may be well trained and dedicated, but there is only so much he can do. A qualified and caring personal private tutor is a must for many, especially in languages and mathematics.

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I had no problems arranging private consultation sessions with my teachers after school. They were most helpful. Could it be that many students are shy about the idea of consulting their own teachers?

FrekiWang wrote:Most of the top school students do not need private tuition as they are willing to spend hours every day on doing revision and pratice. So attitude determines everything in fact.

This is what I agreed 5-10 years ago as well.

But nowadays we are seeing more from the very top schools/JC getting private tuition.

Yes, definately more top school students taking tuition. Its scary!

On the face of it, our exam system is not equal, how can someone in Tampines Secondary School compete with SJI or ACS? Both have 4 years to take O levels, but both have significantly unequal resources helping them for exams. The same goes for A Level exam. How can PJC student compete with ACJC or NJC? Tuition for top school students just propels them further, and they learn exponentially faster.

"A qualified and caring personal private tutor is a must for many, especially in languages and mathematics."

The above statement is actually alarming. Parents should not just engage tutors arbitrarily for their kids without finding out the root cause of the problem i.e. why are the kids having difficulties/perceived difficulties in handling the subject matter in the first place. If kids are "spoon fed" and rely on "tuition teachers" wholesale, i doubt that they will be able to think independently and function without them. That is even more frightening.

FrekiWang wrote:Most of the top school students do not need private tuition as they are willing to spend hours every day on doing revision and pratice. So attitude determines everything in fact.

Most? Sorry but you seem to have lost track of current trends if you say that.

I also felt that there is an increasing trend of top schools students having tuition. A worrying trend....

Wait till this generation of kids who are so reliance on tutitions to go out to the workforce...we will know the effects of tuition then. :-)

whitecorp wrote:

FrekiWang wrote:Most of the top school students do not need private tuition as they are willing to spend hours every day on doing revision and pratice. So attitude determines everything in fact.

Most? Sorry but you seem to have lost track of current trends if you say that.

My children don't have tuition and most kids I know also don't go for tuition. Not the trend lah. I don't think people just throw away time & money like that