Singapore - Outrage over kindergarten's 'tuition' classes

When Madam Rohani Sa'adon read the letter from her six-year-old son's kindergarten in Ang Mo Kio about tuition classes, she was taken aback.

The letter seemed to say that the extra lessons would be compulsory.

Tuition for her kid would be something new, and it would have put a strain on her family finances.

Speaking in Malay, the 30-year-old widow and mother of four kids aged between six and 13, said: "I'm not working. I have to think of the other kids too."

Another parent was irate enough to send a snapshot of the letter to media outlets, including one which was uploaded on The New Paper's Facebook page, along with a comment expressing surprise that tuition was needed for kindergarten kids.

The monthly fees are $40, with an additional $10 semester fee which is collected every six months.

The letter asked parents to hand over the money to the kids' class teacher for two-hour sessions each Saturday for "English and Mathematics".

There was no mention of an opt-out option. When contacted, the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) confirmed that the letter was sent out by one of its four kindergartens in Teck Ghee.

A spokesman clarified that the letter should not have used the word "tuition" as the centre meant "enrichment lessons" instead.

Some parents at the PCF Teck Ghee Education Centre had requested its principal to organise enrichment lessons in English and Mathematics for their children during the weekend, said the spokesman.

She said: "These are parents who they feel require extra help in learning or want their children to learn more, and are not able to get that learning at home.

"However, instead of enrichment classes, the word 'tuition' was inadvertently used instead."

The spokesman also clarified that the lessons were not compulsory and were sent to gauge interest from the other parents.

"We would like to apologise for any misunderstanding and confusion that arose as a result".

However, the parents' reactions remain mixed on the concept of tuition or extra classes for their tots.

Horrified

Some, like Madam Sarah Lin, a 30-year-old mother of two daughters aged three years old and 10 months old, were horrified.

She said: "That's ridiculous! They are too young to have tuition classes. Let them enjoy their childhood.

"From Primary One onwards, there's a curriculum for schools to follow.

"But for kindergartens, there's no centralised framework. Different kindergartens have different curricula. So what are these tuition classes for?"

Miss Aspa Mohd Hatta, whose four-year-old niece is in K1, said the terms used to describe these extra lessons do not matter to her.

"Whether it is tuition or enrichment class, they both mean the same thing to me," said the 31-year-old day trader, who became a guardian of her niece after the girl's father died.

A day trader buys and sells financial instruments, like stocks and options, within the same trading day before the market closes.

She added: "My niece is still too young for tuition classes. Kids her age should be focusing on playing hard for now."

Tuition agencies contacted by The New Paper said that there is demand for tuition at the K1 and K2 levels, though it is much lower than for older children.

Mr Kevan Soh, 26, who owns A Grader tuition agency, said about five out of every 100 queries would be for tuition at K1 and K2.

Mr Andy Chan, 30, who owns tuition agency EdustarAsia Tuition Services, said it receives about 10 to 15 enquiries a week for K1 and K2 tuition.

Both men report increasing demand for such services. The popular subjects? English and Chinese languages, said Mr Soh.

"Parents want tuition for their K1 and K2 children to prepare them for the Primary One syllabus," said Mr han.

One parent, Madam Tan Meiyin, felt that it was "a matter of packaging".

The 30-year-old business development assistant manager and mother of three, said she sends her eldest daughter to such extra classes conducted by the kindergarten she is attending.

But the kindergarten termed it as "preparatory classes for Primary One".

Madam Tan said: "It's about the exposure that my daughter gets, so that she wouldn't be too surprised by the Primary One syllabus, which is very different from the K2 syllabus."

Chai Hung Yin | The New Paper

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