Should I give that SLS guy some space here? Nah. His mother said he is a filial son. He has his face shown next to 2 Ministers of Singapore Government on AsiaOne.com website too. So enough to feed his ego already. I will leave the circus for now.
"$1 billion spent on tuition in one year - The Straits Times Nov 09, 2014
Singapore's tuition industry is now worth more than a billion dollars. The latest Household Expenditure Survey found that families spent $1.1 billion a year on tuition - almost double the $650 million spent a decade ago and a third more than the $820 million spent just five years ago.
The Department of Statistics, which polled more than 11,000 households between October 2012 and September last year, released the latest survey in September. The average household spending on tuition rose from $54.70 a month 10 years ago, to $79.90 in the latest survey.
The department told The Sunday Times that along with spending more, there were also more households in the latest study - 1.2 million compared with 993,000 a decade ago.
Associate Professor Jason Tan of the National Institute of Education noted that tuition is no longer meant only to help weak or failing students pass their exams. "Tuition has morphed into this huge industry to keep one's child ahead of the rest," said Prof Tan, who is doing a study on the perception of tuition.
"Many tutors teach ahead of the school curriculum, so that the child has a competitive edge. Even students in the Gifted Education Programme have tuition." He pointed to tuition programmes that have sprouted up to cater to students of varying abilities and for different purposes. These include classes to help pupils get into the Gifted Education Programme and courses to prepare students for entrance tests and interviews for the Direct School Admission scheme, which allows schools to accept students not just based on academic ability, but also on their talent in sports and the arts.
Given the growing size of the tuition industry and the numerous players ranging from fast-growing chains of tuition centres to one-man operations, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore has begun auditing tuition centre bosses and private tutors. It has found under-declaration of income to be a "common problem".
A growing number of tuition agencies attest to Singapore's ever- expanding demand for tuition. There are 850 tuition centres and enrichment centres registered with the Education Ministry now, up from 800 last year and about 700 in 2012. And some of these centres have expanded into chains.
Manager Eddy Tan, 50, spends $1,800 per month on tuition for his three children, aged between 11 and 16. He said: "My children asked for tuition as they felt they could not catch up in school. They said their teachers teach too fast. "Everyone I see has tuition. So if you don't give your children tuition, they may lose out. It's the kiasu mentality.""
I am glad that the number has gone up! To S$1B!! This will GIVE MOE every reason to try to take that MONEY from the industry and IMPROVE MOE's schools! Or Minister Heng is NOT as brilliant as I had been rating him!
Lessons for me are:
1. if the parents CAN AFFORD the tuition, fine and well. It also means THOSE THAT COULD NOT afford will be put at a disadvantage at the starting line since what MOST tuition centres do is to 'teach ahead of the school'???;
2. for those 'special purpose tuition' like getting into GEP and DSA, it is JUST CRAZY! This practice reminded me of some Chinese students acing the English as a Foreign Language Test but COULD NOT conduct a simple daily real life conversation when they landed in the foreign land! WHY? Because they had memorised EVERY POSSIBLE ANSWERS to EVERY POSSIBLE QUESTIONS that would be asked by the examiners!! I also came across some interviewees from the same very good universities in Shanghai with similar answers to some of our interview questions. Again, my HR Manager said the universities prepared their students for job interviews with standard answers too! Of course, we changed the questions a bit and focused on behaviours instead of 'theories'!;
3. the note that IRAS is beginning to look closer at the tuition centres bosses and tutors sounds reactive. Surely it is common knowledge that it is a big business and certain self-proclaimed 'star' tutors are supposedly earning more than a million a year! Maybe The ST did not get it right and said IRAS only begun to look closer at these folks?
4. ALL I want to know is: how do our students rank as a desirable and productive WORKER (blue-/white- and gold-collared) in the world with this S$1B industry and the 'world class educational MOE system'? Are OUR LOCAL TALENT competitive in Singapore, and the rest of the world?
The fact that some Foreign Employers in Singapore CONTINUE to bring it Foreign Talent said: our Local Talent is NOT good enough!! Yes???
"$1 billion spent on tuition in one year - The Straits Times Nov 09, 2014
Singapore's tuition industry is now worth more than a billion dollars. The latest Household Expenditure Survey found that families spent $1.1 billion a year on tuition - almost double the $650 million spent a decade ago and a third more than the $820 million spent just five years ago.
The Department of Statistics, which polled more than 11,000 households between October 2012 and September last year, released the latest survey in September. The average household spending on tuition rose from $54.70 a month 10 years ago, to $79.90 in the latest survey.
The department told The Sunday Times that along with spending more, there were also more households in the latest study - 1.2 million compared with 993,000 a decade ago.
Associate Professor Jason Tan of the National Institute of Education noted that tuition is no longer meant only to help weak or failing students pass their exams. "Tuition has morphed into this huge industry to keep one's child ahead of the rest," said Prof Tan, who is doing a study on the perception of tuition.
"Many tutors teach ahead of the school curriculum, so that the child has a competitive edge. Even students in the Gifted Education Programme have tuition." He pointed to tuition programmes that have sprouted up to cater to students of varying abilities and for different purposes. These include classes to help pupils get into the Gifted Education Programme and courses to prepare students for entrance tests and interviews for the Direct School Admission scheme, which allows schools to accept students not just based on academic ability, but also on their talent in sports and the arts.
Given the growing size of the tuition industry and the numerous players ranging from fast-growing chains of tuition centres to one-man operations, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore has begun auditing tuition centre bosses and private tutors. It has found under-declaration of income to be a "common problem".
A growing number of tuition agencies attest to Singapore's ever- expanding demand for tuition. There are 850 tuition centres and enrichment centres registered with the Education Ministry now, up from 800 last year and about 700 in 2012. And some of these centres have expanded into chains.
Manager Eddy Tan, 50, spends $1,800 per month on tuition for his three children, aged between 11 and 16. He said: "My children asked for tuition as they felt they could not catch up in school. They said their teachers teach too fast. "Everyone I see has tuition. So if you don't give your children tuition, they may lose out. It's the kiasu mentality.""
I am glad that the number has gone up! To S$1B!! This will GIVE MOE every reason to try to take that MONEY from the industry and IMPROVE MOE's schools! Or Minister Heng is NOT as brilliant as I had been rating him!
Lessons for me are:
1. if the parents CAN AFFORD the tuition, fine and well. It also means THOSE THAT COULD NOT afford will be put at a disadvantage at the starting line since what MOST tuition centres do is to 'teach ahead of the school'???;
2. for those 'special purpose tuition' like getting into GEP and DSA, it is JUST CRAZY! This practice reminded me of some Chinese students acing the English as a Foreign Language Test but COULD NOT conduct a simple daily real life conversation when they landed in the foreign land! WHY? Because they had memorised EVERY POSSIBLE ANSWERS to EVERY POSSIBLE QUESTIONS that would be asked by the examiners!! I also came across some interviewees from the same very good universities in Shanghai with similar answers to some of our interview questions. Again, my HR Manager said the universities prepared their students for job interviews with standard answers too! Of course, we changed the questions a bit and focused on behaviours instead of 'theories'!;
3. the note that IRAS is beginning to look closer at the tuition centres bosses and tutors sounds reactive. Surely it is common knowledge that it is a big business and certain self-proclaimed 'star' tutors are supposedly earning more than a million a year! Maybe The ST did not get it right and said IRAS only begun to look closer at these folks?
4. ALL I want to know is: how do our students rank as a desirable and productive WORKER (blue-/white- and gold-collared) in the world with this S$1B industry and the 'world class educational MOE system'? Are OUR LOCAL TALENT competitive in Singapore, and the rest of the world?
The fact that some Foreign Employers in Singapore CONTINUE to bring it Foreign Talent said: our Local Talent is NOT good enough!! Yes???
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