Efforts to raise bar for maths paying off

Self-help group's schemes and support from parents, tuition boost Malay students' grades

Madam Nurhidayah Mohamed Ismail, who runs Genius Young Minds, with a Primary 6 maths tuition class. She said her tuition centre started with a class of 10 pupils in 2013 and expanded to nearly 200 children across two branches.
Madam Nurhidayah Mohamed Ismail, who runs Genius Young Minds, with a Primary 6 maths tuition class. She said her tuition centre started with a class of 10 pupils in 2013 and expanded to nearly 200 children across two branches. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
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Harith Rasyad had never struggled with maths until he reached Primary 4, when it became "complicated". He started failing, scoring as low as 30 out of 100 marks. "It can be very confusing with all the equations. If you don't keep up you will get lost," said the student, now in Secondary 3.

But with the support of his parents and tuition, which helped clarify doubts and reinforce concepts learnt in school, the 14-year-old passed.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 28, 2018, with the headline Efforts to raise bar for maths paying off. Subscribe