Tuition nation: System not at fault? |
|---|
|
By Atans1 There is a lot of angst about the amount of time and money that is spent on tuition, despite the PAP administration’s claim that “Every school is a good school”. As usual the anti-PAP activists and cybernuts blame the PAP administration, and on this issue there are parents among the 70% that voted for the PAP who agree. But it could be the racial and cultural mix here that is to blame. A UK study seems to indicate that Indian and Chinese parents are really pushy. By the age of 11, some 22% of children were receiving help from private tutors – but again there were differences along ethnic lines: • white – 20% • Pakistani or Bangladeshi – 29% • Indian – 42% • Black – 47% • Chinese or other minority ethnic – 48% Most 11-year-olds spent one to two hours a week on homework. Some spent five hours or more, but again this varied on ethnic lines: • white – 7% • Pakistani or Bangladeshi – 8% • Indian – 24% • Black – 20% • Chinese or other minority ethnic – 25% http://www.bbc.com/news/education-34259034 Given that 70% of the population here are Chinese, and 7% Indians (including Indian Muslims), the reason for the high levels of tuition seems simple: “It’s culture and race”. Don’t blame the education system that the PAP administration devised? Try telling this to Mad Dog Chee or TOC? Another piece of supporting evidence that Chinese and Indian parents are to be blamed, not the PAP administration. Sometime back I read about a Malay lady who conducted classes for Malay parents so that they could help their kids with homework. One mum said that the course tot her how difficult was “modern” maths and she was less demanding on her kid for failing to do well. Err would any Chinese or Indian mum agree with what this singleton thinks is a very enlightened attitude to take? By the way, I wonder if this applies here? Extra tuition also broke down according to background: • Children whose mother had a post-graduate degree – 30% • Children whose mother had no qualifications – 19% This post was first published over at the Thoughts of a Cynical Investor blog on 2 October 2015. It is reproduced with permission. |
|
YOU MAY WISH TO READ: But we want our schools to be closed, elite schools Parents Are Now Going For Tuition—Is This a Good Idea? |
