Scramble to adapt as tuition, enrichment activities go online

Parents and private tutors are scrambling after the Ministry of Education (MOE) suspended all tuition and enrichment activities for students aged 18 and below, which must be conducted online now.

From today until June 13, all such activities - whether academic or not - must go online for those aged 18 and younger, MOE said in a statement yesterday.

This includes education and development support activities, arts and culture classes and workshops, religious classes, as well as sports and physical activity classes and programmes.

The decision to suspend in-person classes is due to the higher risk of transmission of Covid-19 from the intermingling of students from different schools, and to avoid interaction between tutors and students, MOE said.

Parents whom The Straits Times spoke to were willing to adapt to virtual lessons, but those with children taking major examinations this year were concerned about their children's preparation.

Ms Rashida Md Shariff, 49, said: "It's a bitter pill to swallow, but I understand the need to protect children from the virus, especially with the new variants."

Her eldest son is taking his O-level exams this year, and attends tuition classes for several subjects. Ms Rashida, who declined to reveal her occupation, is worried that going online will affect the quality of lessons.

She said: "With online lessons, there are more things the tutor needs to do within the same amount of time.

"It could also be tougher to shift focus from child to child."

Mandatory home-based learning for all schools takes effect from today until May 28, when the school term ends.

A few parents were all for tuition and enrichment classes going online.

Housewife Michelle Chong, 41, said swimming lessons for both her daughters have been suspended, and their piano lessons will switch to virtual ones.

Her 10-year-old daughter has been having online tuition for mathematics and Chinese composition since last December.

She said: "I feel it is more convenient, time-saving and less stressful in that we don't need to rush from one place to another.

"The lessons are also recorded so my child can review them anytime she wants to."

Some parents, like photographer and business owner Ashtalaxmi Dinakaran, 34, are willing to pay the same fees for online classes as they would for face-to-face lessons.

Ms Dinakaran has two sons aged two and six.

Her older son's Carnatic singing classes and her younger son's Tamil enrichment classes switched to the Zoom platform last weekend.

She said: "I am not fussed about paying the same fees, and I feel it is totally justified as the teachers still have to do the same amount of work, if not more."

All 10 tuition teachers and recreational activity instructors whom ST spoke to said they were ready to adapt to the new guidelines.

However, some still had reservations about how effective it would be to teach using online tools like Zoom, Google Meet and OneNote.

Keeping students focused and minimising distractions will also become tougher.

Ms Emilia Sulaiman, 20, an undergraduate and part-time private tutor, said: "Children can get distracted by social media and games... And parents trust me to teach their kids, so I'm worried that it will be a challenging task teaching them online."

Her three students - in Primary 6, Secondary 2 and Secondary 4 - are siblings, so she is worried their parents could suspend classes or suggest a pay cut.

Piano teacher Mabel Lim, 29, is already feeling the heat.

Lessons for her 33 students mostly take place in their homes, with only a handful coming to her house.

"I'm definitely very stressed as parents are sending a lot of messages, asking about moving online and how to set it up," said Ms Lim.

"I'm also worried because I don't want any of my students to put a pause on lessons and potentially set back their progress."

However, some sports and physical activities for students aged 18 and younger will still be able to continue outdoors under the latest rules - with a maximum of one instructor and one student at all times, and with safe management measures in place.

Boxing coach Prabhu Ram, 35, who owns Kshatriyas boxing school, switched to one-on-one classes last weekend. Half of his 30 students, mostly aged seven to 12, have dropped out of classes.

He now conducts only private classes in the outdoor areas of his students' homes, charging $90 an hour. He says he will switch to Zoom classes for those who cannot afford one-on-one classes.

He said: "Most students just want to take a break and will return after June 13, but if there's going to be another full lockdown, we will just switch back to Zoom classes like during last year's circuit breaker."