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Singapore's Education Ministry is working with the advertising sector on a code of conduct for tuition centres, as it looks to curb unethical advertising by "black sheep" of the industry. Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said during an interview with CNA that some tuition centres are playing on parents' fears to grow demand and using unethical ways to get students. Alxis Thng reports.
A year after full subject-based banding began, Singapore Education Minister Chan Chun Sing tells CNA that the initiative has helped cultivate respect for diverse abilities. In a sitdown interview with chief editor of CNA Digital Loh Chee Kong and journalist Ang Hwee Min, Mr Chan also highlighted the need for parents to respect teachers as partners in a child’s education, rather than treating them like service providers. He explained why "unreasonable" demands on educators can harm both teacher well-being and the classroom environment.
Mr Chan also spoke about a slew of topics ranging from "black sheep" tuition centres to gaps in Singapore’s universities.
Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing was speaking at an event for a graduating cohort of National Institute of Education (NIE) teachers, jointly held by NIE, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) on Feb. 11.
Chan Chun Sing calls out unethical practices of some tuition centres, MOE in talks with advertising industry for code of conduct
Such as touting tuition outside schools.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is in talks with the advertising industry in Singapore to establish a code of conduct that addresses certain "unethical" marketing practices used by some tuition agencies to guilt-trip parents, said Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing.
Chan was speaking in an interview with CNA about Singapore's education policies and the tuition industry, which was made public on Feb. 13.
Touting tuition services outside schools
During the interview, Chan called out some tuition centres, whom he labelled the "black sheep" of the tuition industry due to a few undesirable practices.The first was touting tuition services outside schools.
Chan referenced an incident shared in parliament by Bukit Panjang SMC Member of Parliament (MP) Liang Eng Hwa, who said he saw tuition flyers being distributed outside a primary school on Jan. 2, the first day of school.
Chan called out such practices for creating anxiety amongst parents.
"So my principal went out and gave them a piece of our mind. It's totally unnecessary. For P1, there's no exams. Instead of inculcating the joy of learning, you are handing out flyers to the parents to create this fear of missing out," Chan said.
Minister of State for Education Gan Siow Huang had responded in parliament on Feb. 4 that MOE does not support such "undesirable advertising practices".
Gan said the ministry is studying how they can discourage such practices among tuition centres, and reviewing their processes with regard to the matter.
Roping in top PSLE students to endorse tuition
Secondly, Chan criticised the "unethical" practice of some tuition centres which pre-select their students, and later claim credit for their good results.Chan also called out tuition centres who offer discounts or enticements to students to advertise their services, saying it was unnecessary and added to the guilt-tripping of parents.
Chan pointed out that in contrast, MOE teachers are obligated to serve every student regardless of background, including those with higher learning needs.
“It is not right for [some tuition centres] to come and say that [they] pre-select the students and try to claim credit. Then what is [their] value add?" Chan asked.
Agencies might also rope in top PSLE students to endorse their products, said Chan.
"You say [that] if you consume this product, you will get a top PSLE score. Sorry, it's the other way around. They got a top PSLE score, and you asked them to endorse your product. That is not correct," said Chan.
Chan said that MOE is in talks with the advertising industry on the possibility of coming up with a code of conduct that would rein in such practices.
Otherwise, such marketing practices will also give the advertising industry "a bad name" if allowed to continue, Chan pointed out.
In response to Mothership’s queries, Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) chairman Bryan Tan confirmed that ASAS met with MOE on the matter.
Tan said that ASAS shared about its role in advertising self-regulation and the aspects to consider when implementing sector-specific advertising guidelines.
Should children still go for tuition?
On tuition as a whole, Chan said that he has no issue with children who voluntarily go for it to strive in their own learning."But I'm always worried about the students who look grouchy and down when they go for such lessons, because they seem to be trying to fulfil someone else's expectations rather than their own aspirations," said Chan.
Chan added that he hopes every child in Singapore will know what makes them special regardless of their grades, and that they can use what they have been gifted with to make a contribution to society.
You can watch the full interview here:
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