[Parliament] - MPs push MOE on the private tuition industry

UltimaOnline SG

Blaming the private tuition industry for the internal problems of MOE and the Singapore education system, is not unlike Malaysian politicians blaming Singapore for Malaysia's internal problems, or the US govt blaming terrorists and the middle east for USA's internal problems.

MPs call on MOE for closer look at private tuition industry
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/mps-call-closer-look-private-tuition-industry

Private tuition not necessary in S'pore, says MOE
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/private-tuition-not/815568.html

MOE Parliamentary Reply : Effects of tuition on mainstream education
http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/parliamentary-replies/2013/09/effects-of-tuition-on-mainstream-education.php

fudgester SG

While I agree that our education system has it problems, I am all for some form of regulation in the private tuition industry. There are pretty unscrupulous tutors and tuition centres out there who make all sorts of wild claims and do not bother to check the credentials of their tutors.

From my eight years' experience as a tutor, I can also say that for the most part private tuition is unnecessary. In all those eight years probably only one student I had truly benefited from tuition, and that was only because she was hardworking and diligent. All she needed was someone to guide her along.

As for all my other students, they don't need a tutor - they just needed someone to wake up their bloody ideas. They were all lazy and unmotivated.

Once I asked a kid to read The Silver Sword by Ian Seraillier, which was about a group of Polish children in the aftermath of WWII. He had to write a book review on it, and he came up with some fantastical story about 'going to the North Pole' to retrieve 'the enchanted Silver Sword'. Go figure.

I have always told my students - if you pay attention in class and do your school homework diligently, you should already be at least 80% on the way to academic success. Tuition should no longer be necessary then.

I challenged them to work hard and diligently enough in school to make their parents want to fire me for being no longer useful. Hasn't happened yet.

UltimaOnline SG

Straits Times :

UltimaOnline SG

And today (22 Sep 2013) the New Paper runs a special report on tuiton as symbolic of class politics :

http://www.tnp.sg/content/ground-zero-fighting-tuition-wars

eagle SG

For my 11 years experience as a tutor, having tried out many varying styles of tutoring, I guess you are referring primarily to home 1 to 1 tuition.

My main experience from home 1 to 1 tuition, is that it is mostly unnecessary and a waste of parent's money. The money may be good for tutors, seriously good, but it does not benefit the student as much as small group tuition. In home 1 to 1 tuition, it eventually boils down to answering homework for the student, much more than actually coaching.

With small group tuition, there are a variety of things which I can do and implement to help boost the students understanding. From simple things such as showing educational video clips, doing simple experiments, to leading class discussion, daring the students to speak up and ask questions in class (something they need in university anyway), to finally time trials, etc. Imagine going to a home 1 to 1 tuition, and needing to bring all the equipment necessary for these educational "supplements".

Other benefits of small group tuition includes listening to questions posed by other students, and answers by the tutor, all these apart from students making friends and sharing resources from different schools with one another. I like it most when my tuition group is actively asking questions to clear doubts, and every student in the group get exposed to questions they may not have thought of themselves. It's very beneficial to all the students, as well as to me the tutor, who over time has grasp the most common pitfalls of students, and compiled them into a book.

Example...

Certainly, there are instances where 1 to 1 tuition are more beneficial. But for the majority, I don't think so.

1 to 1 tuition makes the most money for the tutor but it is questionable if it helps the student, really large group tuition makes the most money for tuition centre but is most likely unable to help most students.

I truly think small group tuition helps the majority of students the most.

UltimaOnline SG

I truly think small group tuition helps the majority of students the most.

Over 2 decades of MOE teaching + private tutoring experience, confirms the undeniable truth of what Eagle has just said. Which is why I too, no longer offer solo tuition, and now only offer small group tuition @ BedokFunland JC.

Large group tuition (ie. what most tuition centers are doing) are not effective at all. No different from having remedial classes in school. Quite frankly, a waste of the students/parents' money.

Solo tuition is simply not worth the money (especially for the student, but quite frankly also for the tutor). And as Eagle already said, peer discussion (and peer motivation as well) is an irreplaceable pedagogical tool, integral in small group tuitions.

Small group tuition (ie. what Eagle and myself are doing) is the only truly effective modality for private tuition, that makes the most difference for students. Undeniable fact.

Edited post to add :

Moreso than in other service industries, the tuition industry is successfully self-regulating, in that if the students/parents (increasingly demanding these days) do not quickly see satisfactory improvement in results, they will simply drop the tutor / tuition center, and move on to the next one, until they are satisfied with results.

As every student and tutor is unique, different students with different learning styles will respond differently to different tutors with different teaching styles. Student A might find tutor B much better, while student B might find tutor A much better.

I actually have had students who used to receive tuition from some other very famous and reputable tutors (in separate, unrelated cases, involving different famous and reputable tutors, not just for H2 Chemistry, but for other H2 subjects as well), but the students told me (initially to my surprise, before I better understood that different-students-need-different-tutors) that they found these tutors to be 'sucky' or 'cannot teach' or 'waste of money', etc.

eagle SG

Would like to add

The students themselves are the best judge. Results may or may not improve in the short term, but it is up to them to see if they are understanding concepts with greater clarity than before.

Thing is, students simply don't have the time, especially at A Level, to move on to the next tuition centre. By the time they realise they don't learn, they might very well be at the end of the J2. And that's very sad :(

If any student tells me he/she cannot understand or learn from me effectively (which has never been the case fortunately :p ), then I will tell the student go find another tutor asap. I have the time to wait, other tutors have the time to wait, the student may have time to wait, but A Level will never wait.

UltimaOnline SG

http://www.straitstimes.com/node/1561563

"The studies, which are expected to be completed by the end of next year, will also question if tutors help students understand content or if they merely drill children to be exam-smart."

Any simplistic conclusions made on this point will be invalid, simply because every tutor is unique and different. Furthermore, by virtue of the academic content itself, it will make a difference whether this is for PSLE, O levels or A levels.

I for one, pride my BedokFunland JC services for H2 Chemistry on helping my students to deeply understand instead of blind memorizing / drilling, sometimes to the extent they might even conceptually understand certain aspects even better than their JC teachers themselves ( many of whom are themselves accustomed to "just memorize and don't ask so much" whether in their studying life or teaching life ).

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The National Institute of Education (NIE) has launched three studies to answer key questions about the impact of private tuition here.

At the top of the list is whether tuition really improves students' grades or if it creates an unhealthy reliance which may make them worse.

The studies, which are expected to be completed by the end of next year, will also question if tutors help students understand content or if they merely drill children to be exam-smart.

Dr Shaljan Areepattamannil, who is heading the project, said he and his team will try to measure whether tuition does indeed raise scores in maths and English through the course of a year.