Since the outbreak of COVID-19 early this year, many industries have been affected by the global pandemic, such as F&B, hospitality, and trading – to name a few. The global pandemic has severe health and economic impacts, and has shifted the fundamentals of our perceptions. For example, we all know that education in Singapore is of paramount importance. Yet, the “iron rice bowl” industry is not spared from the effects of the pandemic.
To curb the spread of the virus, the government has imposed a nationwide measure “Circuit Breaker” on 8 April 2020 to close all schools and suspend all centre-based tuitions – with the latter being implemented almost two weeks before the Circuit Breaker.
Many tuition centres have moved online to ensure that students continue to receive the additional support that they require on top of the home-based learning (HBL) from their compulsory education. Traditionally, tuition centres are conducted face-to-face, and this “personal touch” can be considered the ethos of education in the country. In light of the global pandemic, can virtual classes replace the regular enrichment lessons, and what can parents expect from tuition centres from now on?
Virtual lessons provide flexibility and variety for students
The advancement of technology has empowered the education industry to move lessons online, not at the expense of interaction and engagement with the students. Online platforms provide a multitude of tools to enhance the overall learning experience for children – such as video-sharing, making annotations on-screen, and messaging functions to ensure that educators can still interact with students virtually.
Can online classes replace tuition-based centres?
The use of online enrichment classes is relatively new in the industry, driven by the circumstances of the global pandemic. This has no doubt led to the skepticism from both parents and educators – will it work? This is something that remains unconventional as the COVID-19 situation is quickly evolving, and only time will tell. To that end, many tuition centres are using technology and tailoring their teaching methods to suit the students in the current climate.
What’s next for tuition centres?
Despite the ongoing pandemic, one thing is for sure – the demand for the education industry is not slowing down. As our tuition centre goes virtual, we are appreciative to see many parents supporting this new initiative.
Our students are beginning to adopt this new method of learning, and our parents are being more involved in their children’s learning – from providing a conducive environment for an uncompromised learning experience for their children, helping them in their homework; giving us feedback to ensure that we continue to deliver our promise of quality and interactive education to our students.
Looking forward, tuition centres must adhere and support the government’s preventive measures to help “flatten the curve” of the coronavirus, work closely with parents and students; continue to innovate and customise teaching methods to provide a holistic and quality learning experience to ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic does not hinder the joy of learning for our children.