The Issues of Private Tuition in Singapore
Meeting their children's academics needs have never been this important...and popular. All over Asia, parents are sending their children for tuition. This has resulted in the tuition industry growing rapidly in countries such as South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong. According to an article published by New York Times in 2009, Hong Kong's tuition teachers, known as cram school teachers there, earn a large fortune from over 800,000 primary and secondary students. Four dominating cram school chains have sprouted up, along with 800 smaller ones and many more private tutors.
The same trend can be clearly observed in Singapore. With the burgeoning number of tuition centres in Singapore, many issues have arisen, including the quality of tutors, stress on students and the financial burden on parents.
The first issue regarding the quality of tutors is prevalent throughout the country. There are several tutors with no teaching experience, albeit they have the passion and qualification to teach. Some others teach all levels from primary to secondary school students without realizing that there is no one-approach-fix-all solution in teaching. The teaching style requires variation at different levels. At lower levels, tutors may need to understand child psychology as well. Since they do not specialize, this often results in ineffective teaching when catering to students of different levels.
In addition, commission-driven tuition agents often provide parents and students with little verification on tutor credential. In August 2010, the Straits Times did a special feature on tuition in Singapore and reported that a common problem faced by parents and students when searching for a good tuition centre or tutor, is the lack of transparency in the industry. Inadequate or unreliable information makes it difficult for parents to make an informed decision for their children. The mismatch of tutors and student results in a waste of time as there is a need to seek for new tuition options. Moreover, tuition centres do not usually publish their entire performance statistics, choosing instead to showcase the results of their stellar students. As such, it is very difficult for parents and students to make a comparison among tuition providers. Eventually, they depend on recommendations or advertising to decide on which place to enrol in. However, with modern technology in place, parents and students are now able to make more informed choices by making enquiries to tutors and agencies directly through their websites.
Another concern is the unnecessary stress on students. With more peers going for tuition classes, students feel the need to ‘follow the crowd' in order to keep themselves at the benchmark. If they opt out of tuition classes, they may be viewed as losing the competitive edge. Subjects such as Maths and Science have been strongly emphasized in technology-driven countries, such as Singapore and South Korea. These subjects encompass mind-boggling concepts that create pressure for those who are unable to cope in school. This crushing pressure has even gone to the extent of killing the students. In South Korea, it is reported that dozens of teenagers kill themselves every year due to fears of not doing well in school. The number of school-age suicides rose from 100 in 2003 to 202 in 2009, according to education ministry statistics. Many students are in a constant state of extreme exhaustion, sleep-deprivation and depression, which take a toll on their mental and physical health.
Lastly, this rising trend may also create a financial burden on some families that provide private tutoring for their children. According to a 2007 report by the Hyundai Research Institute, the average Korean family spent nearly 20 percent of its income on private tutoring. In reality though, most middle-income families are able to afford tuition fees for the eventual benefit of their children's grades. Therefore, students should treasure the opportunity to enroll for tuition and do their best to do well instead of complaining about stress. In fact, the solution to all these issues is for the students to manage their stress and time effectively. Only then can they excel in the long run.
The same trend can be clearly observed in Singapore. With the burgeoning number of tuition centres in Singapore, many issues have arisen, including the quality of tutors, stress on students and the financial burden on parents.
The first issue regarding the quality of tutors is prevalent throughout the country. There are several tutors with no teaching experience, albeit they have the passion and qualification to teach. Some others teach all levels from primary to secondary school students without realizing that there is no one-approach-fix-all solution in teaching. The teaching style requires variation at different levels. At lower levels, tutors may need to understand child psychology as well. Since they do not specialize, this often results in ineffective teaching when catering to students of different levels.
In addition, commission-driven tuition agents often provide parents and students with little verification on tutor credential. In August 2010, the Straits Times did a special feature on tuition in Singapore and reported that a common problem faced by parents and students when searching for a good tuition centre or tutor, is the lack of transparency in the industry. Inadequate or unreliable information makes it difficult for parents to make an informed decision for their children. The mismatch of tutors and student results in a waste of time as there is a need to seek for new tuition options. Moreover, tuition centres do not usually publish their entire performance statistics, choosing instead to showcase the results of their stellar students. As such, it is very difficult for parents and students to make a comparison among tuition providers. Eventually, they depend on recommendations or advertising to decide on which place to enrol in. However, with modern technology in place, parents and students are now able to make more informed choices by making enquiries to tutors and agencies directly through their websites.
Another concern is the unnecessary stress on students. With more peers going for tuition classes, students feel the need to ‘follow the crowd' in order to keep themselves at the benchmark. If they opt out of tuition classes, they may be viewed as losing the competitive edge. Subjects such as Maths and Science have been strongly emphasized in technology-driven countries, such as Singapore and South Korea. These subjects encompass mind-boggling concepts that create pressure for those who are unable to cope in school. This crushing pressure has even gone to the extent of killing the students. In South Korea, it is reported that dozens of teenagers kill themselves every year due to fears of not doing well in school. The number of school-age suicides rose from 100 in 2003 to 202 in 2009, according to education ministry statistics. Many students are in a constant state of extreme exhaustion, sleep-deprivation and depression, which take a toll on their mental and physical health.
Lastly, this rising trend may also create a financial burden on some families that provide private tutoring for their children. According to a 2007 report by the Hyundai Research Institute, the average Korean family spent nearly 20 percent of its income on private tutoring. In reality though, most middle-income families are able to afford tuition fees for the eventual benefit of their children's grades. Therefore, students should treasure the opportunity to enroll for tuition and do their best to do well instead of complaining about stress. In fact, the solution to all these issues is for the students to manage their stress and time effectively. Only then can they excel in the long run.
