Why has tuition classes become a must for school children?

[silverblue]

I just read an article in the papers today about tuition classes and wish to discuss it here
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/1/4/nation/7024819&sec=nation

Reading this article made me realize that more and more students are taking tuition classes nowadays, sometimes up to 5-6 subjects just to do well in school. Did you ever think about why we have to pay so much money on tuition when we should be learning the same thing in school?
Does this mean that our education system is so inadequate that students have to seek outside help? Doesn't this mean that education is actually no longer 'free'?

I know of several school teachers who offer tuition classes of the same subject she/he teaches in school to her/his class. Might it be that these teachers are now not teaching wholeheartedly because they know they will be able to earn extra/more money by giving tuition to their students after school? If this is the case, then I feel that students are being shortchanged by the education trend nowadays.

I understand that some students may need more help than others. But nowadays, even the smart ones are going for tuition. It just bothers me that parents have to pay so much just so their children can excel in school. Is it the teachers' fault or the students' kiasuness? Or neither?

I am sure most of us have taken many or some tuition at some point in our lives. What do you think about tuition classes? Do you think they are necessary? Or more importantly, do you think they should be necessary? [/i]

[chenchow]

Personally, I think the rampantness of tuition in Malaysia has gone beyond control. Just imagine, how come students in universities/colleges do not need to tuition, but all those primary, secondary school students need to have tuition all the time. Is it because they are too young to learn? or because many are just following the trend? or because of kiasuism?

Tuitionism (is there such a word, or i am just inventing it?) is the current state, but I think it is unhealthy. I will put the article by Ranjit Singh, about the purpose of education. Please read it.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/1/4/education/7016930&sec=education

May be we can try to reflect back to those days when we ourselves went for tuition. Why we do so? Personally, I have been having tuition in BM and English throughout my high school and I have had the same tuition teacher for BM, Cikgu Tan Chin Lee for 6 years and my English teacher, Mrs Machap for 9 years. It is like a source of exchange of thoughts and idea and I still keep in touch with those two great teachers.

I have had 2 short stint of a few months of tuition in Mandarin with Cikge Cheah Kean Seng in Form 3 and Form 5. and the only tuition that I had in my high school was Moral Education for 2 months in Form 5. I took the tuition of Mandarin and Moral, more of need, because my personal grasp in Mandarin is poor and I need help. For Moral, it is the major downfall for students in my school, so I went for tuition for 2 months.

So, I think tuition must be based on needs, rather than because of just following the trend. The teachers I tuition with do not teach my school, and hence that is an added exchange. My teachers in my school did know of my tuition with those teachers and I do exchange thoughts and materials between the teachers.

[masterof_none]

So, I think tuition must be based on needs, rather than because of just following the trend. The teachers I tuition with do not teach my school, and hence that is an added exchange. My teachers in my school did know of my tuition with those teachers and I do exchange thoughts and materials between the teachers.


Although I did not contribute to the 'tuitionism' ideals when I was in primary and secondary schools, I think I have some comments on this subject.
because I heard that some of the teachers at the tuition class usually 'analyze' the past years exams, give some drills on the 'spot questions', etc.Basically, making the student a better test taker.

If that's true, than, it's just too bad. Because, now, the primary aim for parents sending their kids to go to school is not to give them education anymore, but, hoping that the teachers can spot the questions, give their kids stuff to memorize , and spit back all the information in the exams.

Now, is this what we call education?...
I think , it can safely be referred to 'educating children how to take the test'

How can we fix this?
I think we can fix this by raising the quality of teaching among teachers.
But how?. By giving them high salary and making it more competitive to apply as a teacher. Because, like Silverblue said, teachers nowadays may think that , they can make more money by teaching tuition classes.


But what students can do to fix this?
I think students should be given opportunity to voice their opinions/comments on the system. and, working hand in hand with teachers to educate kids. (Recom is working on this! )

Also, we can strengthen the Alumni functions throughout schools, so that we can depend less on the government to fix it.
Like, generating funds to build facilities, and creative ways to educate children.

Because, education is more than being a good test-taker.

[topdog]

It's too easy for those who have left secondary school to say that tuition classes are a waste of money, bad for students, etc. I had tuition classes for BM (since Form 1), Add Math, Accounts (since Form 4) and Physics (since Form 5). Most of my friends had even more.

Of course, with the benefit of hindsight, I can now say that going to these classes certainly did not help me become more self-reliant in my studies. However, I certainly felt that I needed those classes when I was still in school. Why?

1. The SPM called for lots and lots of drilling. Teachers in school were unable to provide this mainly because of time constraints. Teachers outside of school could.

2. I could have done all those drilling on my own, but I wasn't very confident about my ability to master those 4 subjects without additional help. Of course, "mastering" here meant getting A's, not necessarily understanding it thoroughly, but as long as I got a string of A's in exams, what whas there to complain about?

I know some guys used tuition classes as a means to meet girls, and vice versa, but I can't speak for them because I wasn't one of them. Yeap, I was kinda nerdy back then.

So, is tuition classes really such a bad thing? Some kids really need extra help, some kids don't need the help but go anyway for whatever reason. Also, it's not fair to accuse tuition teachers of making big bucks off students, because teachers are severely underpaid and they are legitimately earning extra income by holding after-hours classes. I think this tuition thing is really not a big deal, because with or without tuition classes, our education system remains the same. Students will still be mugging for exams anyway.

[b3ng_han]

Some small kids go tuition because they enjoy knowing more friends .. Some of them are not .. They really pay attention in the tuition classes .. The quality of education in the tuition centre is actually depend on the tutors .. If they are not that good in leading and teaching the students, then the students wont get improved .. Haha .. at my place, i have thought to open a small tuition class for students who are standard 4-6 ... at the moment .. any idea ?

[wesleyanne]

Well, I don't think there is just one specific reason that we decide to go for extra classes. It really all depends on the individual. I do agree that there isn't enough time to cram everything in school alone, so students do need to study on their own outside of class, be it via tuition or themselves. But judging from our young ages, I think most parents think it is necessary to send us to tuition to push us to study cos honestly, I don't think there are a lot of students who has the initiative to study by themselves ;)

I admit that some parents send their kids for tuition classes cos they dont wanna lose out as well! I know for a fact in Korea that if one parent sends their kids to this particular extra class, the others will follow suit. That speaks a lot about our kiasu Asian culture. Everyone just wants to be better than the other.

As for the teachers, we have to acknowledge that they REALLY don't get paid much so tuition is a great source of extra income! However this does not justify being less focused in school. I have to admit though, that there are lots of teachers out there that are both very focused in school and give extra classes cos they are REALLY concerned bout the students. If that is the case, then I am all for tuition since it will benefit both the student and the teacher. Otherwise, if teachers are just giving tuition for the sake of money, that's just plain wrong!

But honestly, after going abroad to college and learning that education is MORE than just giving precise answers in exams, tuition classes are really unnecessary. Just cos a kid does badly in middle school/high school, it shouldnt really be that big a deal. After all, how many of us remember what we learnt in primary/secondary school even though we got straight A's? I personally have forgotten most of my Ad Math, Science, Geography etc despite going for tuition and doing well in them!
but then again, our culture is such that if we don't do well in SPM/STPM etc, we're branded as less smart and will have less opportunities compared to those who ace their exams, hence giving birth to the tuition boom. oh well....

[topdog]

I guess the real problem with this "tuition trend" is when parents think that tuition classes (let's just call them TCs) are necessary for their kid to succeed, just because everyone else seems to be going for TCs. I suppose you can call it kiasuism.

My point is, unless our education system undergoes a radical change, and exams de-emphasized, TCs are probably here to stay.

[dinna_g]

There's two things that we need to learn in order to succeed in school. One, learn the material and two, know how to answer questions. For part one, that's what we do in class everyday. But for part two, we have to do it on our own. There is no way teachers can do both in class, so students seek for part two by taking tuition classes.

Learning is one thing, taking test is another. We need to know how to take tests, we need to know how to answer questions. I know friends who know their material very well but they have troubles expressing what they learnt in words especially in writings. So it is necessary to brush up their test taking techniques.

Having said that, I don't think tuition classes are necessary because test taking techniques can be self-learned by students. I'm sure student can ask parents to buy extra work book for them to work on and maybe seek help from parents or teachers or siblings to scheme through their work. This example can be seen clearly in boarding schools. Students do not go to tuition classes but they are forced to go to preparation classes every day. This is what they do in preparation class, discussions with friends, study, reviews etc. However, we, boarding school students never really get exam hints or anything, we just forced to do lots and lots of practice that we have good test taking techniques.

The same can be done for other students but maybe more will power is needed. It is harder to impliment in a sense that it is hard to find study buddy and help. Hence, parents send their children to tuition class to force them to study. Unfortunately, there's nothing perfect in this world. There can be flaws here and there and tuition class can be a waste at the end of the day. It really depends on the situation, some tuition classes worth the money we pay for but some are not. I guess it is up to the students and parents to evaluate the effectiveness of the class.

I also do agree with masterof_none, school teachers need raise. This will also attract smart people to become teachers and serve the nation. At this point, teacher is a job someone will fall back on, if someone fails to find a well-paid job that suits his/her qualification. I might be wrong, but that's almost always the case...

[eeyore]

just a small comment here. actually among the code of ethics that teachers "should" adhere to includes a statement that they cannot give tuition classes to students whom they teach in school. of course almost nobody gives a damn about this, giving rise to the scenario where teachers do not teach well in school because they can earn more from the same students by giving them tuition classes.

i once had a physics teacher in high school (remember gcp, topdog?) who gave us extra classes every saturday for free. i think if you're really concerned about your students, that's the way to go.

[Cirnelle]

I am totally against the idea that tuition classes are necessary for students. personally speaking i have never attended any tuition classes throughout my whole school life except for BM tuition in F5, and my grades are ok. at least they satisfied my parents. :)

I think the mushrooming of tuition centres is a product of the spoon-feed style of education in our country. imagine everything being prepared and given to you in a tuition class.notes, handouts, model questions, and even model solutions.you just have to follow the socalled "master-plan" of your tuition teacher and bingo, you are on your way to yet another A in exam! but education is not all about getting A's in exams. :?

But in long term this will not be a rewarding learning method. there aren't any tuition classes for university/college student.(or are there? ) these students will eventually have to acquire their own set of learning skills, find out the best, ie most suitable, study method for themselves, creating their own master-plan of studying, setting their own targets, developing exam techniques, or in other words - study independently!

However, tuition classes could be useful if students attend them with the correct attitude. i know some people attend TCs for socializing factors, or worse still, to SLEEP! (" there got air-con mah...") 8O .it's a really unhealthy phenomenon.

Take up tuition if and only if you are determined to learn something from the tuition teacher ( like how to earn a fortune from being a tuition teacher.HAHA! kidding! :lol: ) and make the time and $$ u have paid worthwhile. otherwise,better just sleep at home. at least you've got your own bed and pillow. :)

hmm...actually i shoudn't be writing about all these.my mom is a tuition teacher! :oops:

[luke]

Reading eeyore's story about teacher giving extra classes for free I came to recall my 'old' days in middle school (what is "sekolah menengah" in English aa? Secondary school? middle school? I prefer middle school ... ok back to the topic) where my teachers also did the same thing ... however, being in an SBP and also comparing stories with all my SBPs friends I came to the conclusion that free extra classes during weekends is not uncommon (aiya double negative maa .. "cannot cannot this is wrong" said my english teacher) for SBPs ... so a question came to my mind: how come SBP teachers give free extra classes while others don't? better pay? higher teaching spirit? inspirations from seeing their students really want to learn? or maybe just because the SBP teachers simply can't take fees for the classes? mmmm ....

[topdog]

I agree with (almost) everything that has been said. However, I find the often-repeated statement "education is not only about exams" kinda pointless, although I do agree with it.

I mean, the system is set up this way. Exams ARE everything whether we like it or not. Please don't say exams are not important just because we're done with the SPM and won't have to go through it again. Did anyone of us here say "SPM is not important so I don't care if I don't get A's because A's are not everything"?!

Most of us here are under some kind of scholarship. I assume we all did very well in the SPM. Would you have gotten say a JPA scholarship if you did not get very good grades in the SPM?

We now know exams are not everything. I wonder if any of us had been so quick to dismiss the importance of exams, in the education system we were under, back when we were in Form 5.

[jiinjoo]

(Sekolah menengah is high school i think)

I agree with a number of post about seperating the learning issue from the tuition issues. Yes, let there be more learning and less regurtitation, but given the current situation whereby you're discriminated into different classes in society highly based on your exam results (e.g. remember our scholarship imply 10 A1s required thread?), rational students and their dedicated parents will do whatever that promises a better future, and marketing slogans by tuition centers happen to promise exactly that.

Btw, how many of you gave tuitions yourself before?

I was "teaching" for a long time, as a peer tutor, a friend, a tuition teacher, etc. Interestingly, I've actually rejected to give tuition to a student eventhough his parents insist simply because he wasn't coming to me with the right attitude. Most of my students (well, ex-students) always started off taking tuition from me with some apathy since it wasn't really a genuine desire to learn, plus having peer and parental pressure. At the end of the day however, I find that most of them actually pursuing problems beyond what I initially set off to teach, beyond the syllabus in their textbooks. Not only did they find understanding the fundamental concepts to what they learn very interesting, they also enjoy "out-smarting" their peers in school, and keep coming back to me for more. It doesn't matter if this is just child-ego, they are learning, and at least for me that's what gives me satisfaction, gives them education, and makes the children of our generation better.

Furthermore, my own tuition experiences indicates that "good tuition teachers" are hard to find. I only took BM tuition - my worst subject - from form 1 to form 5 under 5 different tuition teachers, none of which was able to help me - sorry to say that.

Teachers ARE earning more money. Since Pak Lah came the teachers got yet another raise, more holidays, and something else I forgot :P But naturally, depending on one's standard of living, one might still need to give tuition or have a 2nd job (hey it's only half a day for most teachers in school) to maintain it.

Oh yeah - about paid tuition - my experience tells me that "paying" can also be a subtle commitment. Comparing accross my paying students and non-paying students (yes Free tuition exist...) I find the paying students more willing to learn - simply because they don't want to waste money! We sometimes take our free education in school for granted - don't you think so? :wink:

[MarquisX]

i never go to tuition in my life; one, because my parents can't afford it and two, i hate it. I think tuition is detrimental to the kids themselves. Though people may argue that tuition helped them do better on the test, tuition also forced kids to abandon their xtra-curricular and other things that kids have to do to grow up. Growing up in a dismal academic system (yes i did, don't argue with it)), i can see that parents wanted to see their kids do EXCELLENT in their tests, but sometimes tuitions don't always deliver. One more thing, the growth of tuition business reflect the diminishing quality/value/benefit of a formal education system. Whatever happened to our structured academic system? does it stinks so bad that parents are forced to send their kids to afternoon tuition sessions to help them become competitive? what happened to the teachers? aren't they supposed to be intelligent enough to help the kids with their homework and test?

but then again, maybe it's just me

[wawa]

I think it has more to do with the way the Malaysian system indentifies 'top scorers'. My teacher(who previously marked exam papers) once told me that as long as students write in the 'key word' they will be awarded marks even if the entire answer given is illogical! In STPM many students take tuition from teachers just to get 'tips' on how to answer them.
as for earning money, i once calculated that the biggest tuition centre in Penang is earning about RM35,000 a month.

[chenchow]

In fact, I don't fully agree on the notion that even students who come up with completely wrong answer, as long as they had the key word, then students would be rewarded. If this is the case, I am sure there would be teachers who taught some students who have not been doing well academically to memorize all the related words and churn those out in the exam paper. If the marking is based on whether the key word is there, then this student is destined to do well!

I think for SPM Sejarah, the marking scheme is such that key word is 1 point and the elaboration is 2 points for each key word. So, having all the key words would bring in 1/3 of the scores only.

For Pendidikan Moral, each essay is 15 points. Only 3 keywords are looked for. and each key word requires 4 lines of elaboration for 4 more points. So, merely by having 3 keywords, it is just 3/15 points. But usually the marking scheme has 4,5 category of keywords. Some keywords are marked as same category, so no double count. So, at best, students who memorize and throw in 80 key words would get 4, or at most 5/15, which still means doing badly in the exam!

Back to the topic, how I know the PM marking scheme,...--> tuition...

I know sejarah marking scheme via my school teacher though.

[DecentMerson]

I do think that it really depends on how are the school teachers!!

although I was tied with 3 tuition classes when i was in form5(coz i took 2 extra sujects: pricipal accounts and Chinese Language) and my physic teacher is not qualified(at all).she just read from the text book and when my frens ask her a question, she would appoint a few good students to answer that question.and she always skipped classes...we can't even cover the required syllabus.we students have to find a new path to rescue our grades...

anyway, after much survey, the most expensive tuition rate is at subang jaya and petaling jaya(selangor), a single subject for 2hours lesson per week will cost about RM 80 per month... i have a fren who pay a whopping RM 600+ monthly as tuition fees.....

and there's one tuition centre which organize crash courses for all the science subject 1 month b4 spm with the price tag of RM150 per person per subject(SPM and PMR level)... and guess what, the demand for it was so hot that the tuition centre have to limit it to 120 students and those students who took all the 3 subjects will be prioritized.... I was good enuff to avoid such courses...

so by the end of the month, the tuition centre earned more than RM 100k.....and wat made ppl furious is that the tuition centre has a policy of not giving receipt....

No Receipt = No proof = No taxation.....


one more thing the equation goes =>
education in Malaysia = Exam and A's and good grades....

nowadays, most parents never count how many marks u earned, but how many marks u lost....

there was once which i got so mad that i almost dashed out of my home when i got a 99 for modern maths,expecting to be praised by my parents, u know wat my mom asked me??? "Where do you lost ur 1 mark?".....i told them how depress i felt from her words and she thought over it and she felt ashame about it.... see....these incidents do happened to most of my frens.....

[screw3d]

A lot of teacher's work are in unnecessary paperwork. Teachers should only teach and not mess with all those admin work! IMO teachers are not paid enough for the amount of work they do. Of course I might be a little biased ;)

<-- comes from a background of teachers as parents.

[z]

I'm guessing that most people in the Malaysian education system are not self-motivated to learn. I believe that one of the main sources of motivation to perform is peer competition (to some people: pressure, kiasuism).

I'm not going into the economics of the tuition model. But, as many would agree, some tuition centers are just rip-offs and they do not deliver the results. However, blatantly saying that tuition centers are completely useless is something I have great difficulties doing.

I have attended tuition (mostly) in Form5 and I must give some credits to the tuition teachers. I have been taught by "professional" tuition teachers at really commercialized tuition "chain" as well as retired teachers who are doing it for the love of educating (yes, not merely teaching). I do acknowledge the extra material and drilling for the subject matters, but I believe there are more to those. For the lazy, or the ones who learn better through listening a lecture than reading a book, or the ones who couldn't focus on studying outside of a classroom(-like) environment, blah blah blah (i know, i know... i just flushed my credibility, if any, down the toilet... but what the heck, i need sleep! i have to cut it short), tapping into the well-developed (or perhaps, over-developed) tuition system is not all too bad.

Regarding the "tips" and "exam" issue, even though it reflects on the (kinda) messed up education system and mentality of the society, one can also argue that the youngsters are actually learning the ropes of succeeding in the society. What's wrong with paying to learn examination techniques?

I have to admit though, the number of people who waste their time "attending" tuition is quite significant too. Oh well, blame them? Blame the parents? Blame society?

Messed up? Yeah.
But I don't think there should be any stigma attached to receiving/providing tuition. People should be given the freedom to make their own decisions without too much external influences.

Just my 2 cents.


It's always about the mentality... attitud punya pasal.

[wawa]

A lot of teacher's work are in unnecessary paperwork. Teachers should only teach and not mess with all those admin work!

I totally agree with it. My mom's a teacher, and i can't believe the amount of paperwork she has to do~! By the time she finishes all the meaningless paperwork, she's so tired out already. Where does she find extra time to prepare for tomorrow's lesson.? No wonder students resort to tuition. Tuition teachers don't need to do all those meaningless stuff, but only concentrate on teaching.

[chenchow]

I agree that teachers should not be saddled with tons of paperwork. I haven't really seen how much paperwork a teacher needs to do, so I can't comment, but I used to see a lot of teachers were filling up their record book in class to jot down where they have taught up to etc.

I think we need to strike a balance. May be say 10-15 minutes worth of paperwork per day is reasonable, but definitely not 2 hours worth of paperwork! Or else, the students' studies would be compromised.

I tutored a class in Cornell. It is just a 1-credit hour class, but I don't need to do any paperwork and sometimes I feel that having a little bit of paperwork would make me plan my lessons better.

Before I used to see that teachers just teach say 3-4 hours per day. But after I had to teach, I see that I need to do at least an hour or two of preparation for each hour of class. Plus, sometimes the students would just email me like 2am before exam and I have exam myself and I still need to help. I guess that's part and parcel of teachers' life.

[jiinjoo]

I tutored a class in Cornell. It is just a 1-credit hour class, but I don't need to do any paperwork and sometimes I feel that having a little bit of paperwork would make me plan my lessons better.

Is this because most classes here have a dedicated secretary to handle the paperwork? As far as I know, the professors here are seriously offloaded by their dedicated secretaries.

My mum is a teacher too - and I do help her in her paperwork sometimes, adding scores, recording them in to the master record (oh man they need computers...) - so that she can rest / cook :)

[silverblue]

Messed up? Yeah.
But I don't think there should be any stigma attached to receiving/providing tuition. People should be given the freedom to make their own decisions without too much external influences.


But I still think that the problem here is that, there are actually alot of external influences that pressure students to go for tuition. I don't think we are trying to attach a stigma to tuition centers, but we should be trying to make parents and students realize the actual reasons and assess the real need for taking them.

I feel that the issue that we have to be most concerned about here is that tuition centers are making school education superfluous, instead of the other way round as it should be. Do you get what I mean? Like if you say teachers can't concentrate on teaching well because they are burdened with paperwork etc, then how can they have the time to give extra tuitions? Also, why should tuition teachers be better teachers that our school teachers? If tuition teachers can teach that well, then all school teachers should be able to teach just as well too. Something must be done then to ensure that school teachers' quality and standards match those of tuition teachers.

If we are talking about self motivation to study and the need for tuition classes to push us, then it's also fault on our part. Imagine if your parents offered to pay you the same amount of money they use to pay for your tuition, and just ask you to study more diligently, won't you do that instantly? So, perhaps what I am trying to illustrate here is that tuition classes aren't really necessary if we merely lack motivation to study.... there are many other ways to overcome that I guess..

[z]

i'm in no way arguing that tuition is the way to go, even though i'm justifying why some people go for tuition.

regarding the keep-the-tuition-money-yourself-and-study-harder issue, i think it's pretty much psychological. think about it, why do we even need schools if everyone could just stay at home and be ultra-self-motivated to learn?

as we all agree (i hope), that schools (i would argue that this extends beyond primary school. maybe even until post-SPM level, if you get what i mean) are meant to educate, not just teach. it's about the holistic development of the children, not just increasing their book-wise knowledge.

it's really hard to type out my thoughts when i have tons of work piling up. if you (already) get what i meant, you rock and i love you! if you find it confusing, shoot me a message or something and we could discuss this further some other time.

btw, i come from a family of educators (at least 2 generations)... just in case you find some stuff i say *weird*.

[masterof_none]

Reviving an old thread, I found that our education depending just too much on the tuition system.
http://utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2005&dt=1015&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_01.htm

I just feel like, nowadays, sending kids to the tuition centers is no longer a luxury- it's a must!. I found this really odd. I wonder what kids learn in the morning in schools.

"Send my kids to tuition".

[Patrick]

This is my 2 cents about this issue on tuition.

I strongly think that tuition reinforces a student's understanding of a subject. A student who listens/reads something repeatedly, will be able to remember it. At least that is what I have experienced during my high school years.

Apart from that, I would admit that some tuition teachers are better than school teachers. That's because a tuition class will only last about 1-2 hour/s, and the teacher will have to pick the important elements to teach. The limited time will cause the teacher to teach efficiently as well as effectively.

That's why tuition teachers can finish a year's syllabus in half, or maybe more the time taken by school teachers to finish up the same thing. Some school teachers are laid back, because of the ample time that they have throughout the year. However, as mentioned in the earlier posts, teachers are burdened with unnecessary paperwork that only impedes the process of teaching.
In addition, yearly activities like Sports Day, and festivities worsen the problem. I guess we can't do anything about these activities.

Not all school teachers should be blamed for their attitudes. Some are really dedicated and inspires their students to be their best. At least I've experienced working with them. (The learning process requires both sides to work together - The teachers will teach, the students will listen and enquire when uncertainties pop up)

The effectiveness of tuition classes depends on the individual. A significant amount of students attend tuition classes for the sake of their friends. They want to chat, and interact with their friends, and of course, mingle with the opposite sex. In the end, they'll end up chatting instead of reinforcing what they've learned at school.

Some may be forced by parents, as from my observation, some students who are exhausted after school end up sleeping from the start to the end of the class.

Students who are eager to learn are normally quiet, unless if they have something to say or ask.


I'll end this post by stating my stand. I think tuition classes are helpful, but not essential. A lazy person like me will only sleep if I reach home. Others may differ from me, so, it depends on you!

A million thanks to my tuition teachers who guided me all the way through my years of primary and secondary education!

[Salvation]

Tuition exist because they are generally more efficient than our school teacher in helping students get high marks. You can earn big bucks if you are good enough. Teachers getting RM15000+ per month is not unheard of.

[luke]

Tuition exist because they are generally more efficient than our school teacher in helping students get high marks. You can earn big bucks if you are good enough. Teachers getting RM15000+ per month is not unheard of.
1st sentence: tuition helps students get high marks
2nd & 3rd sentence: teachers can earn big bucks by giving tuition

...

[ToietMoi]

Personally, I do not agree when some of you just said that tuition teachers are better than school teachers.

1st point: Most syllabus should have already been already gone through in school by the time tuition teachers would review them with students. Refreshing something you've already heard of is always easier than learning it from the beginning.

2nd point How can a school teacher pass down all that she/he wants to 40+ students in a classroom. I don't know how it is in SBP or rich schools, but I remember when I was in Form 5, we were 40 and yet, still the fewest among all classes. Compare then to tuition classes with around 10 people (mine used to be composed by just 5).

3rd point System of education. I read some of you who said that Malaysian Educational System is too exam oriented. I agree, but would someone then state down a single country where it isnt' so? My approach onto the system of education is rather different. Nowadays, can students afford not going to tuition classes? When a teacher are supposed to teach another subject other than his/her competance for a whole year because there're just no other teacher is available. And yet, I'm generous. Sometimes, it just happen that I wonder; how come some schools could afford boombastic facilities and some just lack of all, even teachers! Well, if you're just gifted, I suppose that there won't be any big differences at all, but what about if you're not(i.e. me)? Well, I also suppose that there are still some back doors available given that your family can afford it; tuition! Then I wonder, if your family isn't even a middle class family, what can you do? Well, there're still books, but if books could replace teachers, long ago it would have been known. I may be mistaken but aren't schools supposed to reduce social gap?

Teacher/mentor, the most beautiful profession of all. Quite a pity that it is disgraced by some system breakdown.

[budakkerek]

which is why i wanna teach tuition. coz the salary of a teacher is about 1500 to 2000 per month...not enough wat..teach tuition..make double, triple, four times more than that hehe :twisted:

[windrunner]

Do you realise that sometimes it is the experienced school teacher that provides tuition to the people who can afford it? I still remember those who 'retired' and began teaching outside school.

Most people just do not want to go through the hassles of self-study. (which i think is the worst thing one could do, not to mention a big waste of money!).

If a student would want to go deeper into their subject or at least to strengthen their knowledge, then would it not be possible to go read books him/herself? It is a matter of preference to choose between tuition and self-study i guess. Somehow, i think that most school teachers lose credibility because the tuition teachers simply outshine them. The cause? Possibly the tons of paperwork they have to go through, not to mention things they must do for certain departments and societies. I personally think the school teacher needs more time to focus on teaching alone. Besides , look at the pay they get for the work they do!

The worst thing is, tuition is now creeping into A-levels...

:(

[lotus]

The cause? Possibly the tons of paperwork they have to go through, not to mention things they must do for certain departments and societies. I personally think the school teacher needs more time to focus on teaching alone. Besides , look at the pay they get for the work they do!

The worst thing is, tuition is now creeping into A-levels...

:(
It is true that tuition is widely common among A-levels students and has become a permanent feature in form sixes, at least among my friends in PJ area. Sad case? or is it a necessary evil?

Those who are taking tuition at these levels are very serious and good students. Definitely not those in suspect of following the crowd or to socialise. Most of them claim that they are short-changed in schools. Reasons? Mainly lousy, incompetent and not committed teachers. Or the slightly better teachers are not doing the core business of teaching instead they are burdened with all sorts of non teaching work in schools. Furthermore, some tuition teachers are really specialists giving excellent guidance -value for money.

In fact a friend of mine, after attending a certain university-college in PJ for two semesters doing A-levels just gave up and registered as a private candidate and just attend tuition classes. She claims that in this way she gets value for money and lots more time to do stuffs.

She is happy and doing fine. She argues, "Why pay the uni-colle so much for all the fancy-trimmings?. Just go and shop for all the famous and good tutors and go register yourself in British Council, or something. Makes good economic sense for those taking arts subjects, I would think.

[lotus]

By the way, I am a benefiary of excellent BM and add maths tutors during my high school years. I'm indebted to them for the A's and interest cultivated in the subjects though their sevice is paid for. :)

[Salvation]

There is nothing wrong with our tuition system. For students, paying RM80 per month for 10 months in SPM year is actually a very good investment considering the fact that most tuition helps you get good scores for SPM. By getting a good score, you greatly increase your chance of landing a scholarship, worth usually around half a million to 1 million ringgit. On the teacher's side, I again find no fault of those who quit teaching in public school in favour of tuition. Yes, they are there for the money but tell me any rational human who would be willing to earn less then they are entitled. Again, there are very good teachers who give their best in public school instead of giving tuition, for this i salute him/her. Milten Friedman once said: "With respect to teachers' salaries[....] Poor teachers are grossly overpaid and good teachers grossly underpaid. Salary schedules tend to be uniform and determined far more by seniority." (Capitalism and Freedom) Tuition is an excellent way to counter that.

[Patrick]

Personally, I do not agree when some of you just said that tuition teachers are better than school teachers.

1st point: Most syllabus should have already been already gone through in school by the time tuition teachers would review them with students. Refreshing something you've already heard of is always easier than learning it from the beginning.

2nd point How can a school teacher pass down all that she/he wants to 40+ students in a classroom. I don't know how it is in SBP or rich schools, but I remember when I was in Form 5, we were 40 and yet, still the fewest among all classes. Compare then to tuition classes with around 10 people (mine used to be composed by just 5).

3rd point System of education. I read some of you who said that Malaysian Educational System is too exam oriented. I agree, but would someone then state down a single country where it isnt' so? My approach onto the system of education is rather different. Nowadays, can students afford not going to tuition classes? When a teacher are supposed to teach another subject other than his/her competance for a whole year because there're just no other teacher is available. And yet, I'm generous. Sometimes, it just happen that I wonder; how come some schools could afford boombastic facilities and some just lack of all, even teachers! Well, if you're just gifted, I suppose that there won't be any big differences at all, but what about if you're not(i.e. me)? Well, I also suppose that there are still some back doors available given that your family can afford it; tuition! Then I wonder, if your family isn't even a middle class family, what can you do? Well, there're still books, but if books could replace teachers, long ago it would have been known. I may be mistaken but aren't schools supposed to reduce social gap?

Teacher/mentor, the most beautiful profession of all. Quite a pity that it is disgraced by some system breakdown.

Umm...my tuition class has got more students than in school O_o
around 50-60 i guess