Whopping RM4b spent on tuitionBy Lee Siew Lian
24 December 2005
KUALA LUMPUR, Fri. - Parents spend an astounding amount on tuition for their children: as high as RM4 billion a year.
According to a survey on education and tuition, parents paid RM80 on average a month for each child. Determined to give their children every advantage, roughly two in three Malaysians with schoolgoing children pay for extra coaching, according to a survey by the Merdeka Center.
And with the switch to teaching Mathematics and Science in English, the demand for tuition will only grow. "Over 80 per cent of tuition-going children attend additional English classes. Three-quarters attend Maths classes, and over half attend Science," said centre director Ibrahim Suffian.
Some 1,029 people were polled in the survey commissioned by the New Straits Times. Half had schoolgoing children. And two-thirds with schoolgoing children paid RM80 on average a month.
When the finding is extrapolated on a national level, it indicates that as much as RM360 million is spent a month on tuition, or RM4.3 billion a year.
The survey has an error margin of about three per cent.
Almost six in 10 parents paid under RM100 a month for each child. Three in 10 paid between RM100 and RM300 a month.
Of the remainder, some spent as much as RM500 a month. Others qualified for vouchers or sent their children to extra classes held in school.
Ibrahim said he was surprised by the heavy reliance on tuition, given that most parents had generally expressed satisfaction with the education system.
"There are some specific issues that concern some people, but most parents seem pretty contented," he said.
"It seems to be a bit of a kiasu thing." This came as no surprise for Loke Yim Pheng, secretary-general of the National Union of the Teaching Profession.
Most parents find it tough to deal with subjects now taught in a language different from what they learnt in school, she said.
Even she had difficulty when it came to guiding her daughters. The extra coaching has become indispensable, a crutch for many parents who fear that their children may lag their schoolmates if they miss out on tuition.
WHAT TUTORS SAY
School Children do not receive the attention they need to fully understand the subjects they study, largely because of the teacher-student ratio.
Professional tutor, Cheryl Ong, who teaches Mathematics, Science and English, said teachers take only one approach to teach a class of over 40 students.
"Some students learn differently from others, and one method for all students reduces the chance for them to understand the subject matter," she said.
Ong wished schools would emphasise communication skills and teach students how to think.
Spoon-feeding leads to problems once children grow up, enter university and must do their own research.
Ong also felt that the teaching methods in schools could be dull.
Kancil Education Group director Francis Rajah agreed.
"The students of this generation get bored easily, and teachers are not creative enough." The centre, where he also teaches, uses other teaching techniques such as mind- mapping and crossword puzzles, among others, to make learning more fun.
WHAT PARENTS SAY
The rat race makes it difficult for many parents to find the time to help their children with their homework.
Mother of four Louisa Towel said by the time she gets home from the Kuala Lumpur bank where she works, it's about 7.30pm.
"It can get tough trying to spread the attention among the four of them before they go to bed," she said.
Monica Low's hectic schedule also means little time for her two children.
"Unfortunately, we are too busy to sit down with our children," said the administration manager in a timber company.
Even if they had the time, some feel they are of little help.
In Clement Kuay's schooldays, he learnt imperial measures in yards and inches, pounds and ounces, and not the metric system.
His generation also came through the Cambridge system, which is vastly different from the school syllabus now, said Kuay, who works in advertising.
WHAT STUDENTS SAY
Michael Lopez scores an average of 85 to 90 in Additional Mathematics.
Not the type of student who would require any help, but he still insists on tuition.
"Apart from being really interested in the subject, I always thought I could do better.
"That and I wanted to maintain my score," said the 18-year-old who just finished Form Five.
Similarly, Robin Stanley, 18, who took tuition in Bahasa Malaysia, Mathematics, and Accounting, said it was one way to improve further.
"No matter how good I was in Bahasa Malaysia, I knew I could push myself further with tuition," he said.
Stanley said his parents pressed him into taking tuition for Accounting, a subject he hated.
"I guess they felt it was essential, but it did help as I got a credit for that subject to my surprise," he said.
Like Stanley's parents, Kim Foong's parents also urged him to go to tuition classes during the school holidays.
"They feel it's a good way to prepare myself for Form One," said the 12-year-old.
Ryan Rodrigues, 14, said he took tuition as he was weak in Science, Mathematics and English.
"I have seen my grades improve and I think it is because my class has few students so there is better communication with the teachers."
