Is Private Tuition Important?

With Singapore so well known as a ‘tuition nation’, perhaps the obvious answer would be that Private tuition is indeed vital. Undeniably, Private Tuition can be of immense help to a struggling student, however one must not fail to consider that as in all things, Private Tuition too has it’s downsides, crippling a child, becoming overtaxing and a necessity.

The fundamental aim of tuition is to help a student academically and with Private Tuition, students will be provided with the full attention of their tutors, since the student teacher ratio is one is to one, and thus be better able to clarify their doubts. This will also benefit students who are too shy to raise questions in class.

Yet, students can also approach their teachers in school privately for extra sessions of consultations to aid their learning. This in fact helps students develop a sense of responsibility for their own learning as they monitor their own progress and decide when they need additional help. As for shy students, the aim of an education is not just to equip a student with knowledge but life-skills as well. Perhaps starting with simple tasks such as approaching a teacher outside of class will help such students develop to become more confident individuals.

With Private Tuition, a child may also develop a tendency to rely on his tutor instead of himself. This cripples a child as the child loses the drive to learn independently and will possibly cease to learn beyond the limits of the curriculum set. This turns students into mechanical learners as opposed to inquisitive learners who will continue learning for life.

As Private Tuition services are being offered for students at increasingly younger ages, Private Tuition can become overtaxing. Learning becomes tedious for children and growing up this way, children may not be able to find the joy in learning. This makes for an unmotivated child with an unhealthy mindset towards learning. It is widely known that happy learners are better learners and thus one should perhaps consider more carefully the necessity of Private Tuition.

With 97% of students in Singapore enrolled for tuition, parents may see tuition as a necessity so that their children do not fall back and lose out to their peers. Thus instead of fulfilling its basic aim of helping a student cope better, tuition has become more of a necessity than anything. This is disadvantageous to both parents and students as parents end up paying hefty amounts for tuition fees, which is especially so for Private Tuition, while students may develop the mindset that school lessons are no longer of use. This may result in students not paying attention or even disrupting classes in school.

In conclusion, Private Tuition has its benefits and doing well academically is important. However, academics do not define a person entirely and parents should exercise caution when signing up their children for Private Tuition (or any form of tuition for that matter) so as not to do more harm than good out of their goodwill.

Related to: For Parents  For Students  Opinion