Recently, private tutoring has evolved into big business. Many students flock to different tutorial centers to get better equipped for the public exam. Some people lament the phenomenon, claiming that the trend is giving a blow to the education sector and even the growth of teenagers. Write a letter to the editor to voice your views.
Dear Editor,
Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see countless advertisements of tutorial centers on the busy streets, shopping malls, and even on buses or MTR trains. Indeed, private tutoring has evolved into big business. Treating tutorial centers as the panacea to be academically excellent and score good grades in the public exam, many students flock to different tutorial centers to get better equipped. While this trend prevails, some people claim that it is giving a blow to the education sector as well as the growth of teenagers. Therefore, I am writing to express my mounting concern over this case.
First and foremost, this phenomenon unintentionally leads to the poor attitude of the young pupils during regular lessons. Some of the students who join tutorial lessons attach no importance to lessons in their schools as they think that they can eventually catch up the contents covered in tutorial classes. They simply do not care about their teachers and even chat and play around with other classmates. Not only do those students become not attentive in school time, but they also affect other fellow students. Apart from their bad behaviors, they often do not have enough time to finish their homework as they have to face another pile of work assigned by the tutorial centers. Many of them either skip or submit their homework with low quality to their kind-hearted teachers. Sadly, this is a blow to the teaching quality in ordinary schools and this really leads to the immense frustration of many teachers and the education sector.
Besides, blindly joining different tutorial classes can be detrimental to teenagers themselves. The schedules of many ordinary schools are already very tight and harsh. Plus the huge amount of workload and exam drillings by the tutors, tremendous pressure is exerted on the adolescents. When they are under immense stress, they can hardly press on. Therefore, they simply cannot do things well and feel even more depressed. As a result, they are locked in a vicious cycle and their well-beings are seriously eroded. Some teens who are mentally fragile may even have suicidal thoughts as it is not new to hear some students even resort to suicide because they cannot cope with their stress. What’s more, teenagers should have a diversity of interests. Joining different tutorial centers make them become exam-oriented. Not only does this occupy most of their time, but it also deprives of their opportunities to explore and discover new interests.
The original aim of tutorial centers should be helping poor students to catch up and acts as supplement to school learning. However, if it gradually takes its toll on the normal running of the schools and even the students, it is definitely not a boon to teachers and pupils. What could be done to remedy the situation?
To commence with, parents can probably lend a helping hand. Most of the students do not choose to go to tutorial centers by themselves. In fact, the decisions are normally made by their parents. Therefore, parents should observe their kids and think carefully and rationally about whether their kids have the needs before sending them to tutorial classes. Meanwhile, they could actively communicate with their loved ones and encourage them to pay attention during regular lessons. Children will thus no longer go to tutorial centers without purposes and they can make use of their time spared to study and learn new things.
Apart from parents, schools also have a role to play. Schools can teach students some essential and vital skills to study better. For instance, teachers could teach them to create a timetable for revision and take notes effectively. By doing so, students can find it easier to manage their study and catch up with the schedule. Teachers should also give support and address the difficulties of students when necessary. Eventually, teenagers do not have to spend their leisure time to join tutorial lessons and the effectiveness of regular lessons can also be enhanced.
In a nutshell, if students blindly go to tutorial classes, not only will it be a waste of time and money, it will also adversely affect schools and the pupils themselves. It is hoped that different parties can join hands to rectify the mistakes so that teenagers can be better nurtured and be the future pillars of our society.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Wong
Chris Wong
Dick Ho Yik Chung
6E 2015-16