Why Do Students Need Tuition?

By Sandy Goh


Whether tuition is a necessity or not has been a topic of debate among students, parents, and educators for so long. Although not part of a curriculum, quite a number of parents still opt to enrol their children in tuition center or home-based private tuition even if it entails them to shell out an extra cost from their education budget.


Education is very important to every Singaporean. In fact, Singapore is known to have one of the best educational systems in the world, next to Finland. And despite the continuous development of its education sector, Singapore has incessantly adapted the tuition trend. As of this year, there are over 850 tuition centers registered with the Ministry of Education, not including private tuition. While some see tuition as a profit-making industry, there are more of those who distinguish it as an enrichment learning approach.


There have been misconceptions on the usefulness of tuition, but what we aspire the public to understand is, tuition is neither an alternative for an education program nor a separate entity from an educational institution. Tuition is an additional support to eliminate the learning gaps of children. It is a necessity for those students who need to improve a lot on their grades and a learning opportunity for those who want to excel more in class.


Here are the reasons why we believe students can benefit from tuition


We mentioned earlier, to help less able students improve on their grades. There are several causes why students flunk in class, and most of the time the reason behind it are:

a. they cannot keep up with the course phase

b. they cannot fully grasp the lesson

c. they are not motivated to learn


In tuition, either group or private, students are limited, which means a tutor can specifically identify and address the learning gap of each student and then conceptualize as well as tailor a teaching approach that best fits the student’s learning abilities. Also, in a tuition setup, there is more interaction time between a student and a teacher, which therefore offers better opportunities for pep talks and consultation. Sometimes, students need to harness the confidence within themselves through engaging their educators.


To further enhance the academic performance of those who are already doing well. There is nothing wrong with aiming for more to be the best among the rest and this attitude has already been part of the Singaporean culture—the value of achievement-orientation, so to speak. But, we believe that the result is more fruitful if the student is wholeheartedly willing to attend in tuition rather than only being forced by parents.


To make use of higher quality learning materials that are not readily available in school. Since the lessons and teaching phase are customized in tuition, students can benefit from a fresh teaching approach using materials that are not introduced in a normal class. It is like using a chutes and ladder board game to enhance numeracy in a fun way—an activity which is not actually used in school. Another example, a student can fully comprehend a history lesson through documentary videos of the actual events in the history rather than merely reading from a book.


Lastly, to benefit from the better teaching ability of a teacher. Sometimes, a student and a teacher aren’t just compatible together. There are certain teaching practices that are not suitable for some students. It is just the way it is. Thus, tutors are there to guide students through a different academic methodology that can potentially enhance their learning.


This post was first published over at Kids Are Awesome Kit on 21 October 2015. It is reproduced with permission.


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