Now there are no exams or graded tests in Primary 1 or 2. And this changes everything! Should you invest more in tuition to ensure Junior is still learning at the correct pace, or will enrichment classes bring more long-term benefits? Here's how to find the mix that works best.
A year before her son Ashely was due to start Primary 1, Shazeen Tan, an account manager in her 40s, decided to enrol him in a well-known Chinese enrichment centre to get him up to speed on the language.
After the trial lesson, however, she was told that since Ashley’s foundation in Mandarin was weak and it would be futile to keep him in the programme with the other Kindergarten 2 students as they were all well ahead of him.
“I was disappointed and furious at the enrichment centre for turning me down, but then thought that maybe tuition was a better route for Ashley since he needed more guidance,” Shazeen recalls.
“So, I put out a message on Facebook for recommendations for a Chinese tutor and found someone who got Ashley ready for Primary 1 in six months.”
Ashley ended up scoring 70 per cent for mother tongue at the end of Primary 1 last year. His proud mother adds that the now Primary 2 student scored third highest in his class recently for his term 3 Chinese paper.
Shazeen is grateful that she was able to find a great tutor for her son in the nick of time, but also admits it was also a lesson learnt that well-known and expensive enrichment centres aren’t always the solution to your child’s academic problems.
The truth about enrichment
In a country where education is seen as the key to success, Singapore parents are always on the lookout for the best enrichment or tuition classes for their kids to ensure they have competitive edge over their peers.
Most of them engage help because they feel their children are not coping well in school and need additional support, says Ann Tan, a private tutor with 25 years of experience.
It’s done with the best of intentions, but is it necessary, especially if kids are meant to be learning everything in school?
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Esta historia es de la edición January 2019 de Young Parents Singapore.
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