Only 1 in 5 parents believe in enrichment classes
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ONLY 20 per cent of respondents to a StraitsTimes.com poll indicated that they truly believe enrichment and supplementary classes help in their children's development - and that they would continue sending their children to the classes even if no one else did so.
In contrast, almost half of the 286 respondents indicated that they had no choice; Preventing their children from falling behind their peers was the main reason they cited for sending their children to supplementary or enrichment classes.
Another 32 per cent left the decision mostly to their children. If their children no longer enjoy the classes, they would stop sending them.
This was the response to our poll question - What is the main reason you send your kids to supplementary/enrichment classes?
The poll was created in response to a Straits Times Forum letter - and the larger debate of the past weeks centred around the Tiger Mum, Nanyang Kindergarten and Singaporean parents' expectations of relief measures in Budget 2011, currently being debated in Parliament.
In the Straits Times Forum letter, published on Monday, Madam Phyllis Cheong had made a passionate case for supplementary classes.
She argued that such classes are not meant for weak children in need of remedial help. Instead, they serve pupils who are competing to be in, or to stay in, the best schools.
Inevitably, she argued, there is a gap between the brilliant child - be he naturally so or hothoused by parents who can afford the fees - and those less academically inclined.
That is why non-elite schools must make sure that the gap does not widen by holding supplementary classes and give the less affluent children a fairer fighting chance.
On Facebook, a majority of Straits Times readers placed the blame squarely on the 'kiasu' mentality.
For example, Ms Joyce Sun felt that sending a child to supplementary classes is needed to prepare him or her for school, as the curriculum is always changing and getting tougher each year.
'Three years prior to my child going to P1, my friend, who is a teacher, already warned me of what is to come when a child moves on from preschool to P1,' she wrote.
'She told me to prepare my child early by sending her to enrichment classes if needed because what they are learning in school now is very different from yesteryear. I am very thankful that I heeded her advice... the enrichment centres can teach my child better than I can as they are more in tune with the current MOE syllabus.'
-- ST
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but elite schools hold supplementary classes too no?? sometimes even more xiong than neighbourhood schools....so how?? how to catch up the gap??
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competition continues at much younger age now....from mind gymnastics to brain contortions...
perhaps babies should now be thrown to challenge the baby cow in zoo....that would be fun....
lol
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Nowadays, the poll is getting smaller and smaller liao.... 286 people statistic out of the 20,000+ family?????
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Children have human rights to reject enrichment/supplementary classes.
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Originally posted by Taiyaki:
Children have human rights to reject enrichment/supplementary classes.
they reject, then cannot keep up with their peers, they die.
nowadays competition for paper qualifications so fierce.
dun talk about local "elite students", they still small fish only.
Singaporean "top student" only aim for A, but ah tiongs more scary, they aim for 100%. how to fight?