More parental attention in children's education needed
Monday, July 30, 2007
SUFFICIENT parental attention, less time watching television, and proper motivation on the part of students are needed to reduce the dependence on tuition classes, and to ensure the progression of a child's education.
"This is a different society. The school has to play an important role as a lot of students don't pay attention to what goes on in their classes," said a senior officer at a strategic firm who did not want to be named.
He also felt that parents do not have much time to accompany the children and teach them, so they leave it to the school and the tuition teachers.
"Those that need tuition because they aren't able to catch up with their schoolwork usually to go for tuition for extra help. Some also go to tuition to catch up on what they've missed during classes."
The officer also thought that nowadays less children are interested in reading, as they would rather watch television. As a result, their studies suffer.
He also expressed disappointment with some parents who just leave their children under the supervision of their maids.
"The maids just put the children in front of the television so they can also relax," he said.
He feels that if children are already "spoilt" by television, it will be harder to make them study.
He added that while additional tutoring is good for students "sometimes you don't know whether it is effective or not, as (the tuition schools) just want to make money."
He concluded by adding that parents should pay more attention to their children's education from the beginning.
Jessica, who tutors secondary five students at one of Brunei's many tuition schools, expressed similar opinions. "It is very important for the parents to be caring enough to look after (the child's) needs," she said.
She feels that most parents tend to believe that they have done their part by paying a hefty sum of money every month in tuition fees.
"I've seen a few troubled kids that come from a rich family where the parents think they've done enough by sending their kids to expensive tuition establishments."
When the students don't do well, the parents blame the teachers for not doing their job properly, she added.
Furthermore, she feels that parents must be like a "friend" towards their children, by showing an interest in not just their schoolwork, but also in other issues that may be important to them, such as social issues.
"Sometimes if they have problems with their personal life, they end up telling me about it instead of their parents," she remarked.
"Maybe their parents don't listen enough."
In addition, she feels that parents should get their children involved in other activities that the child would be interested in. In addition to expanding their skills and knowledge, such activities also keep them out of trouble.
"Most of them are quite bright," she said. "It's just that sometimes they try to get their parents' attention by doing bad things at school and during tuition."
Bullying other students and talking back to their teachers are common occurances, she said.
The Brunei Times
"This is a different society. The school has to play an important role as a lot of students don't pay attention to what goes on in their classes," said a senior officer at a strategic firm who did not want to be named.
He also felt that parents do not have much time to accompany the children and teach them, so they leave it to the school and the tuition teachers.
"Those that need tuition because they aren't able to catch up with their schoolwork usually to go for tuition for extra help. Some also go to tuition to catch up on what they've missed during classes."
The officer also thought that nowadays less children are interested in reading, as they would rather watch television. As a result, their studies suffer.
He also expressed disappointment with some parents who just leave their children under the supervision of their maids.
"The maids just put the children in front of the television so they can also relax," he said.
He feels that if children are already "spoilt" by television, it will be harder to make them study.
He added that while additional tutoring is good for students "sometimes you don't know whether it is effective or not, as (the tuition schools) just want to make money."
He concluded by adding that parents should pay more attention to their children's education from the beginning.
Jessica, who tutors secondary five students at one of Brunei's many tuition schools, expressed similar opinions. "It is very important for the parents to be caring enough to look after (the child's) needs," she said.
She feels that most parents tend to believe that they have done their part by paying a hefty sum of money every month in tuition fees.
"I've seen a few troubled kids that come from a rich family where the parents think they've done enough by sending their kids to expensive tuition establishments."
When the students don't do well, the parents blame the teachers for not doing their job properly, she added.
Furthermore, she feels that parents must be like a "friend" towards their children, by showing an interest in not just their schoolwork, but also in other issues that may be important to them, such as social issues.
"Sometimes if they have problems with their personal life, they end up telling me about it instead of their parents," she remarked.
"Maybe their parents don't listen enough."
In addition, she feels that parents should get their children involved in other activities that the child would be interested in. In addition to expanding their skills and knowledge, such activities also keep them out of trouble.
"Most of them are quite bright," she said. "It's just that sometimes they try to get their parents' attention by doing bad things at school and during tuition."
Bullying other students and talking back to their teachers are common occurances, she said.
The Brunei Times
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