PATRONS OF FOOD FOR THOUGHT get a chance to broaden their minds at this 'ethical cafe' that hopes to be more than just a profit-making enterprise. From left are students Cherie Lee, 19, Joanne Chan, 18, and Huang Si Hui, 18, and teachers Mr Tong Yee, 33 and Ms Kuik Shiao Yin, 30. -- ST PHOTO: WANG HUI FEN

But the subject can also have a life-changing impact, say the founders of the School of Thought (SOT), the only tuition centre in Singapore with GP as its main focus.

'GP is a very impactful subject that goes beyond exams. The content and skills it covers have a very real application to students' lives.

'And it's a good avenue to teach them about values,' said Mr Tong Yee, a former GP teacher from Nanyang Junior College, who now teaches up to five classes a day at SOT.

Mr Tong, 33; Ms Kuik Shiao Yin, 30; Miss Lorraine Tham, 29; and a fourth teacher who did not wish to identify herself, invested $8,000 each to set up the tuition centre, starting with about 15 students, five years ago.

SOT now caters to about 300 students a year at its four-classroom premises in North Bridge Centre.

Class sizes start at five in January and balloon to 15 in October, when more students come in for some last- minute help.

The four tutors, who are at the centre until 10 every night to address students' academic questions or personal problems, also produce a 30-page monthly magazine titled Broader Perspectives.

It is filled with colourful nuggets of news analysis, essay-writing tips as well as cut-and-keep guides on practical topics such as saving.

Private student Cherie Lee, 19, who attends weekly two-hour tutorials and a monthly lecture at SOT, said: 'I want to continue attending the lectures here even after my exams.

'They help me see how abstract global issues affect me personally, which will help me beyond the A-Levels.'

A former SOT student, Ms Charlene Tan, 22, who is now in her third year at Singapore Management University, said: 'JC teachers usually tell us to read more of The Economist, but here we learn how to break down and use that information.'

She went from being a consistent C5 student to scoring a B3 at the A-Levels after attending the SOT tutorials.

Mr Tong said: 'For me, the most satisfying part is getting them to love the world and love their country by acting as responsible citizens.'

Added Ms Kuik: 'We want to build a product where the quality speaks for itself.'

The four teachers have started a cafe spin-off called Food for Thought on the first floor of the building, which faces the National Library.

Inspired by The Body Shop chain, which supports social and environmental causes, it styles itself as an 'ethical cafe'. For example, drinking water is served free but customers are encouraged to donate to a fund that supports well-digging projects worldwide to provide drinking water to the needy.

The cafe sources supplies from local farmers. Walk-in customers can have their home-made cakes sold at the cafe, after passing a taste test.

'When we get sick of studying, we go downstairs and buy a cake or chat with the tutors next door,' said Nanyang Junior College student Huang Si Hui, 18, another SOT patron.

'SOT began as an experiment; we never expected that we'll be going so strong,' said Ms Kuik, who met her three partners while manning a student crisis hot-line at the National University of Singapore where they were studying.

Making money is not the key driving factor, she added.

SOT has an in-house financial aid programme where needy students can get up to 50 per cent off the $160 monthly tuition fees. Tuition centres and home tutors offering GP tuition usually charge $150 to $200 a month.

For some students, such as Dexter Sim, 20, improving his GP marks has been a long struggle, but he still sticks by the centre.

And his father, Mr Sim Ang Hin, 49, a technician, does not mind that it is taking a long time for the results to show.

'My son is visibly more opinionated now and can give different perspectives on most topics,' said Mr Sim, who often chats with his son about his class discussions.

But other parents, like housewife Foo L.F., 45, who has two teenage sons, take a more pragmatic view.

'Tuition is about getting good results. You have all the time in the world to read or do whatever you want after the exams,' she said.

debyong@sph.com.sg