The pandemic has increased the home study trend. Teaching at home is gaining popularity, and more parents are looking for at-home study opportunities for their children. Almost 70% of the parents in Singapore have enrolled their children in home tuition classes. Home tuition is the biggest on-rising industry there. Almost half of the population has enrolled their kids in any tuition institute. It has become a necessity and a kind of standard in society. People want their kids to get the best tutors. Though the country has the biggest tuition academies and most qualified tutors, parents still face many challenges when choosing tuition centers or home tuition services for their children. The stress and societal pressure have created a competition for hiring the best tutors, which is badly affecting the parents’ mental health, hence increasing stress and frustration in both the kids and parents.
Here are some of the top challenges faced by parents in Singapore:
High Cost
Tuition academies are the biggest industry in Singapore these days. Every parent is looking for tuition services for their kids. It has raised the demand for tutors, and they have increased their fees to an extremely high level. The cost has become the main challenge for parents when looking for home tutors. A single tutor costs from $1500 to $2000 per month, beyond the reach of low-income parents. Though some charge low prices, their timings could be more timely, which is also a problem for children and parents. Many parents work part-time to accumulate the amount for hiring the right tutor for their kids.
Choosing the Right Tutor
The next big challenge is finding the right tutor. Though Singapore has some big names in the tutoring field, their cost needs to be lowered, or they are fully booked. When it comes to academies or learning institutes, you can only trust them partially, as everyone is in the race to be at the top. The tuition increase has made it a big problem for parents to skilled and best tutor. Through various ads and interviews, only a parent can find the right tutor that fulfills their requirements. In addition, parents also have to compromise on timings or other activities to set the time according to the tutor’s timings.
Lack of Motivation
Making kids motivated to study in the home is an extremely hard task. The home environment is different from schools and academies, making it tough for the kids to concentrate. In addition, if the house is small, slow gossip can be heard throughout the house, or the sound of TV may be the biggest distraction; though many parents try to avoid any sound, living in a house makes it hard to stay completely quiet. Also, kids are often lazy at home, and the only activity they want is to play or watch TV; in this scenario, asking them to study regularly is an extremely tough task. Various times, they get frustrated; however, slowly setting a routine may help prepare them to learn at home.
No Competition
Children are alone at home with siblings who are mostly in different classes, which makes them lazy at studying, and they never try to improve. Healthy competition is crucial for kids to stay at the top and study more, which is impossible in the home tuition environment. When they study at home, they are alone, and their competitors are themselves, so they never try to learn something new or jump to the top. On the other hand, kids at schools or academies continuously face competition from their classmates and friends, which urges them to study more and try to stay ahead of the competition. Though tutors try to encourage and motivate them, real competition is impossible in a home environment.
Pressure and Stress
Not every house is a happy home. Many people face different issues and stress in their lives, directly affecting their children. When children are always at home, even for study or games, they find little or little time for interaction with other kids, resulting in child anxiety and depression. It also results in a lack of confidence. It is a huge challenge for parents fighting problems to provide their children with a positive and healthy environment. Though most of them avoid discussing problems in front of their children and educators, you still can’t take precautions 365 days a year.
Moreover, the pressure from society to hire big names or enroll your children in only the top academies is also a challenge for Singapore’s parents.
Monitoring Progress
Another big challenge parents face is monitoring the process of their children’s studies. Every parent has chores, work, and commitments, and managing them while regularly monitoring their kids is extremely difficult. Though a web camera or monitoring device can be helpful, if the parents are present, you can expect a different level of attention from kids and parents. In addition, always checking on the teachers may also disturb them and urge them to come out of contract before time, causing another problem of searching for tutors for the parents.
Time Commitment
Children need to play and rest for a healthy routine, and always engaging them in study is tiresome. If the child also goes to school and then sits for home tuition, they find no time for outdoor games or other activities. The lack of time for activities makes them bored from studying, and they search for excuses to avoid study time. Also, for a healthy lifestyle and to make them fit, you must give them time to play and rest, which is hard for a school-going child with home tuition. In addition, parents also need help to allocate a fixed time in their routine for the tutor. Sometimes, some commitments are important, or the hectic routine of working parents makes it hard to set the time for their kids’ home tuition service.
On a Final Note!
Home tuition has become a trend in Singapore, causing pressure on parents to enroll their children in tuition if they need it or not. Though, advantageously, your kids study in front of your eyes, the competition on hiring the best tutor and finding time and motivating kids to study in the home environment has made it a headache for the parents. In addition, it has increased the cost of education as parents have to pay both to schools and tuition academies, causing stress, frustration, and unhealthy competition in society. Home tuition is best only when it is done to learn and enable kids to achieve their targets in a healthy environment and without compromising other activities.
