I was disheartened to see tuition being portrayed as something negative and even redundant by some people ("Tutors' role in society often overlooked" by Mr Cornelius Chew Kok Mun; May 28).

We must recognise that students attend tuition classes to make up for the gap in knowledge due to the inability to fully understand what school teachers have taught.

This could be because the student cannot adapt to the way that the teacher conducts the lesson. It is impossible to have a lesson or learning material that caters to and suits everyone in a large class.

Tutors help by adopting a style and pace that are customised to the learning needs of each child.

This personal touch is important and essential in helping a student understand a particular concept fully.

A tutor can address the questions a student has, and target his weak areas. This ensures that each student is given an equal opportunity to excel in his studies.

Tutors play a major and important role in Singapore's education landscape, and cannot simply be replaced by videos or other learning materials.

Quek Wei Kang, 19,

full-time national serviceman