![](https://i.imgur.com/CLvY2jA.png")
05-08-2021, 08:23 AM
Ng Shi Wen and Gerard Sasges
PUBLISHED 2 HOURS AGO
Shock. Dismay. Indignation. If you're an investor, these might have been your emotions when you learnt of the recent announcement by the Chinese government that institutions offering school curriculum tuition would be required to operate on a not-for-profit basis and that foreign investment in the sector would be banned.
......
However, if you're like us, the parents of a Singaporean child, your reaction may have been very different. For us, the announcement suggested that the $1.4 billion Singapore tuition industry could be changed.
......
Given that China's private tuition sector is more than one hundred times larger than Singapore's, the Chinese government's move signals the depth of its commitment to rein in an industry blamed for impoverishing parents, stressing children, and contributing to the nation's plunging birth rate.
......
Clearly, the country's leaders see fundamental issues of equality and social cohesion at play.
......
Here, in Singapore, we face many of the same issues. While sending children to tuition may be the norm, it's not an opportunity available to all.
Children of parents unable to afford the cost may be left behind, scoring poorly on tests, and, even worse, coming to internalise the idea that they're not as bright as their classmates whose parents can afford to send them to tuition.
It also further differentiates the education available across schools, as teachers at schools where most students can depend on private tuition are able to assign more challenging work, finish the required subjects faster and set aside more time for revision.
......
the gap between socio-economically advantages students in Singapore and their less advantaged classmates is not only significantly higher than the OECD average, but also has risen since 2009
......
households in the top quintile spent more than four times as much as those in the bottom quintile on tuition
......
placing limits on the tuition industry and reorienting its activities away from the school curriculum could help create an environment where children can play, read books for fun, engage their creativity and learn healthy habits of physical activity with benefits for a lifetime.
......
The Singapore government has already taken important first steps to reshape the nation's education system.
At the primary school level, it has reduced the reliance on testing
At the university level ...... promote interdisciplinary education and lifelong learning reflect an awareness that our future economy will need creative and adaptable problem-solvers, not test takers
......
One easy initiative would be to shift the start of the school day later.
A large body of research confirms the advantages of a later start. Starting school later would not only help our young people be healthier and perform better, but also reduce the need of parents feel to keep their children occupied after school hours.
......
the move could serve as an interim step providing businesses time to pivot from tuition to enrichment and other activities.
......
Real change is possible. China can do it. And we can, too.
Better to read full article here: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/chi...-for-spore
PUBLISHED 2 HOURS AGO
Shock. Dismay. Indignation. If you're an investor, these might have been your emotions when you learnt of the recent announcement by the Chinese government that institutions offering school curriculum tuition would be required to operate on a not-for-profit basis and that foreign investment in the sector would be banned.
......
However, if you're like us, the parents of a Singaporean child, your reaction may have been very different. For us, the announcement suggested that the $1.4 billion Singapore tuition industry could be changed.
......
Given that China's private tuition sector is more than one hundred times larger than Singapore's, the Chinese government's move signals the depth of its commitment to rein in an industry blamed for impoverishing parents, stressing children, and contributing to the nation's plunging birth rate.
......
Clearly, the country's leaders see fundamental issues of equality and social cohesion at play.
......
Here, in Singapore, we face many of the same issues. While sending children to tuition may be the norm, it's not an opportunity available to all.
Children of parents unable to afford the cost may be left behind, scoring poorly on tests, and, even worse, coming to internalise the idea that they're not as bright as their classmates whose parents can afford to send them to tuition.
It also further differentiates the education available across schools, as teachers at schools where most students can depend on private tuition are able to assign more challenging work, finish the required subjects faster and set aside more time for revision.
......
the gap between socio-economically advantages students in Singapore and their less advantaged classmates is not only significantly higher than the OECD average, but also has risen since 2009
......
households in the top quintile spent more than four times as much as those in the bottom quintile on tuition
......
placing limits on the tuition industry and reorienting its activities away from the school curriculum could help create an environment where children can play, read books for fun, engage their creativity and learn healthy habits of physical activity with benefits for a lifetime.
......
The Singapore government has already taken important first steps to reshape the nation's education system.
At the primary school level, it has reduced the reliance on testing
At the university level ...... promote interdisciplinary education and lifelong learning reflect an awareness that our future economy will need creative and adaptable problem-solvers, not test takers
......
One easy initiative would be to shift the start of the school day later.
A large body of research confirms the advantages of a later start. Starting school later would not only help our young people be healthier and perform better, but also reduce the need of parents feel to keep their children occupied after school hours.
......
the move could serve as an interim step providing businesses time to pivot from tuition to enrichment and other activities.
......
Real change is possible. China can do it. And we can, too.
Better to read full article here: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/chi...-for-spore
