tuition crazy singapore

[morenangpinay]

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singapor ... 23408.html

I'm just curious what are the views of expats on the subject.is there a difference in the way expat kids learn in singapore schools or is it the same way as the singaporeans?Are expat parents worried if they are not able to send their kids on tuition classes since locals are worried that if they are unable to enroll in tuition classes the kids will be left behind in school. Is it a necessity in singapore education?

im just curious because like what the blogger said maybe the stress level in the society starts so early in their life producing stressed out adults in the future.

[JustMyself]

It's not so much about how kids learn as what their parents expect of them. I know several students in the International Schools who are overbooked with afterschool tuition or co-curricular activities as well. As the blogger said, if the children don't have perfect grades or the right "special talent" for the parents to brag about to their friends, then the parents feel that they are failing and losing face and put more pressure on the children to "improve." That mindset just creates a bunch of unhappy, burned out people.

My children have had a hard time adjusting to the schools here because of the high level of competition. They are smart kids, but they don't respond well when they feel pushed. The other students make them nervous with their overcompetitiveness. The teachers reinforce the overcompetitive behaviour because they have to respond to the expectations of the parents. Vicious circle really.

[morenangpinay]

arent the teachers creating alot of demand for the tuition services because they dont want to teach the basics anymore because they expect its taught outside school.

[carteki]

arent the teachers creating alot of demand for the tuition services because they dont want to teach the basics anymore because they expect its taught outside school.

What makes you say that?

[sundaymorningstaple]

I don't know what makes here say that, but I agree with her.

I had two kids go through the local system. I know how little they teach. They also don't like students to raise their hands and ask questions. My son was always be told off about that, and the teachers got subsequently told off by me when I found out. But it didn't stop them. Apparently they don't have sufficient time to deliver anything but the outline and it's up to the kids parents to get the kids sorted out, and if that means tuition, then tuition it is.

[merichan]

Heard quite a few friends among locals saying they were put under pressure from the school to take tuition...

Not enough time spent on practicing a new subject, so the child needs extra practice outside of school

to give a simple example, teaching the basics of subtraction isn't enough, most children are going to need to go over it over and over again before they master the skill and singaporean schools with their schedules don't always have time to provide that...

Other things that happen every now and then: a friend had his child's mandarin teacher absent for most of the school year, but the child was still expected to be able to pass the exams with flying colors, so the parents had no choice but hire extra tuition to compensate for classes that weren't truly given in school.

[nakatago]

So it's not the much-touted Singaporean education system but rather the extra time spent in tuition centers outside of school!

It's like saying John Doe came from a good guitar school just because he spent his extra time NOT in class at home practicing his chops!

[poodlek]

I don't know what makes here say that, but I agree with her.

I had two kids go through the local system. I know how little they teach. They also don't like students to raise their hands and ask questions. My son was always be told off about that, and the teachers got subsequently told off by me when I found out. But it didn't stop them. Apparently they don't have sufficient time to deliver anything but the outline and it's up to the kids parents to get the kids sorted out, and if that means tuition, then tuition it is.

That is truly awful.

[iloverice]

I agree with the teacher's expectation and other things (syllabus) are some of the things that push parents to send their kids to tuition classes, can you imagine, the principal in my son's daycare complaint to me that my son's handwriting is UGLY, hello, 3.5yrs old boy? I'm quite happy seeing him able to hold a pencil with a proper grip and can draw some odd shapes. or when the teacher complaint, that my son can't remember the 30 chinese characters from the syllabus for the term

[Vaucluse]

arent the teachers creating alot of demand for the tuition services because they dont want to teach the basics anymore because they expect its taught outside school.

What makes you say that?

I'm not quite sure what the point is either. What makes you say that? Isn't tuition about extended learning as opposed to 'the basics'?

We had one daughter go through a local school and she only had tuition in Chinese, for obvious reasons. She's now in an Int'l school and kicking butt quite severely . . .
The littlest one doesn't have tuition but her Mandarin and Malay skills are taught quite reasonably by the teachers.

I think it is rather the teachers who find themselves focusing on the basics
and leaving the advanced learning to tutors

Asia is a very competitive region, in terms of education, whether it be Sing, Mal., Japan, Korea, China or Vietnam and being 'average' simply isn't good enough

[morenangpinay]

the reason i said that was because some of the comments from the article say their kids are unable to cope with the lesson because the teachers don't bother spending time teaching the lessons. thus they don't have any choice but to spend on tuition classes. "teach less, learn more" outside that is...


and if tuition business is so popular doesn't it result to more teachers creating demand for their own tuition services. of course its not true for everyone

doesn't that show the quality of the education and whats wrong with the system? if you need to spend more on educating your child outside because the school is not enough and yet there's this image that Singapore has a high quality of education.

[poodlek]

the reason i said that was because some of the comments from the article say their kids are unable to cope with the lesson because the teachers don't bother spending time teaching the lessons. thus they don't have any choice but to spend on tuition classes. "teach less, learn more" outside that is...


and if tuition business is so popular doesn't it result to more teachers creating demand for their own tuition services. of course its not true for everyone

doesn't that show the quality of the education and whats wrong with the system? if you need to spend more on educating your child outside because the school is not enough and yet there's this image that Singapore has a high quality of education.

Turns out the "public" education is much more privatized than originally thought?

[carteki]

doesn't that show the quality of the education and whats wrong with the system? if you need to spend more on educating your child outside because the school is not enough and yet there's this image that Singapore has a high quality of education.

What is does show is how important it is that you get your children into a "good school" because the top schools (from what I've heard) do give a good quality education. Its the others that are lacking. This was one of the issues raised in the run up to the last GE.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Do you honestly believe the hype?!? It's BS. The reason the perception of better schools is historical in as much as it is self perpetuating. In the old days, certain school did do much better 30 or 40 years ago when teachers were still teachers rather than just speakers. This, of course did generate better students who eventually became leaders of industry and government. Because the history is there, today, everybody wants to go there but it is mostly the monied families who manage to get there and therefore have more money to pay for more tuition as well. Additionally, as the parents were of higher intelligence, the kids naturally, came from a more intellectual environment so the desire to excel was implanted early by the schools AND the parents own achievements.

At the end of the day, the schools all teach the same curriculum with the same textbooks and syllabus. But if the quality of the raw materials in the school are of a better grade, then the finished product will be of superior quality as well. This has been proven time and again with some of the highest scorers being from neighbourhood schools even though the schools overall average might be considerably lower. To me, anyway, that shows that the only restraint to a child's development is the social environment and not the curriculum.

[PinkUmber]

doesn't that show the quality of the education and whats wrong with the system? if you need to spend more on educating your child outside because the school is not enough and yet there's this image that Singapore has a high quality of education.

What is does show is how important it is that you get your children into a "good school" because the top schools (from what I've heard) do give a good quality education. Its the others that are lacking. This was one of the issues raised in the run up to the last GE.

Very true. However, this would take a few years for things to change, if it ever change. There is only so much I can do, so for now as a parent myself of 2 bubbly children studying in a local school, I just have to engage the service of tuition agency to cope with their peers.