Tuition Really Isn't Necessary.

As the heated debate about the necessity of attending tuition classes rages on in tiny Singapore, 16 year old Eugene Thong shares his views in an online post written rather recently:

"Personally it'll be a no for me. Just for context, I'm a sec 4 student taking O's this year and I've never received external tuition.


Some students attend tuition sessions because their parents force them to. Well, we can't deny that in this current, high-stressed education system, tuition is one of the ways for parents to ensure their child studies and practices outside school. Yes, it does help to have additional practice and another teacher to seek help and guidance from, especially if your teacher is one of those who rarely has time for his/her students. However, I strongly feel that it's useless if a child is forced to attend tuition. If your child is exhausted and needs rest, do you really think your child will benefit attending hour-long tuition sessions and potentially fall asleep and waste the time away, especially if it is a group-tuition where the teacher cannot focus on every single child?


In addition, I feel that it is even more beneficial for students to tutor their fellow classmates/schoolmates. For example, my school had this peer-tutoring (paired) session for A Maths after school where students who did better would tutor the students who failed, and a teacher would be stationed in each class/group to monitor the students and to answer questions. This is definitely more beneficial as the tutor would learn more by explaining. The tutee would also benefit as their questions would be answer, if not by the tutor, then by the teacher. Isn't it more efficient for peer-tutoring like this? This does not have to be assigned and organised by the school. The students themselves can personally seek help from their other classmates as well.


Some of you would probably say that the students may not be disciplined enough to be focus on the assigned work. This is true, but it's unavoidable. You can't force discipline on students. It has to be cultivated and nurtured slowly.


I feel that if your subject teacher is unable to teach you what you need to know, you ought to seek help from the teacher him/herself, or seek help from another teacher teaching the same subject.


Tuition is definitely not necessary, but only seems like it is essential and required for nearly all students merely by the fact that more and more parents are getting tuition for their children. Honestly, I feel that this "tuition is necessary" ideology has to stop. Singapore's students' participating in tuition has increased exponentially throughout the years, especially as the education system gets harder and harder. If the teachers are efficient and the students are attentive and hard working, would external tuition really be necessary?


I'm not trying to make tuition teachers lose their jobs okay? Just my two (three) cents.


I hope I'm not talking (typing) too much crap."


THANK YOU EUGENE FOR ALLOWING US TO REPRODUCE YOUR POST.

AND NO, WE DO NOT FEEL YOU ARE TALKING CRAP; WHILE WE MAY NOT CONCUR FULLY WITH YOU, YOU HAVE INDEED RAISED SOME INTERESTING POINTS.


The Czar (Site Founder)

Dated 21 September 2013


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