Last month, Kelvin Seah, an economics lecturer at the National University of Singapore, analyzed the International Student Assessment Program (PISA) survey data in 2012 and found a surprising finding that tuition was worse than non-tuition.
Dr. Seah, 34, says he concludes: “These students are paying tuition because they are weaker in the first place, or worse because of tuition, which means that tuition and too much class may arise reaction.
Education experts say it is difficult to determine how many roles academic success has, or if it contributes to Singapore’s performance in Pisa, a global benchmark that peaked at 15-year-olds last year.
However, there is no controversy is the development of shadow education industry.
Tuition is worth more than $ 1 billion per year here, almost twice the $ 650 million spent in 2004.
Some parents spend hundreds or thousands of dollars a month on tuition, although knowing that tuition may not significantly improve their child’s grades.
This stems from a strong commitment to the education of the Singapore family – good practice in national examinations is a priority for many parents and students.
Dr Yeap Ban Har, 48, principal of Marshall Cavendish Institute, which conducts professional development courses for teachers, reckoned tutoring helps in mastering the basics, but does not contribute significantly to performing well in novel, challenging problems.
“If a student is weak in basics, tuition might help with basic skills questions as it tends to be about practice and more practice,” he said. “But it may not help with challenging, novel ones, like those found in the Pisa exercise.”
National Institute of Education don Jason Tan said the efficacy of tuition varies from student to student.
“I don’t think you can say tuition does not work for anyone.”
Read Also: Parents ponder value of Pisa test rankings
Experts said tuition will exist as long as there are high-stakes national examinations.
Dr Seah said tuition should not be lightly dismissed. “For students whose families can afford better-quality tuition and enrichment, it could be a big part of why they continue to do well.”
Dr Yeap said the skills of a teacher make more of a difference in a student’s learning process. “It is not a case of tuition or no tuition… If a teacher can create opportunities (for students) to explore, to collaborate, to think structurally, to reflect, to communicate, to be independent, to make meaning, to be confident… It does not matter whether he is a teacher in a school, or a tutor.”
This article was first published on December 25, 2016.
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