Helping your kid study for exams during a pandemic

Parents are dealing with changes wrought by the pandemic including disruption to school and the need to deal with exams. PAL Learning is launching in September with a home-based learning format, enhanced by proprietary technology and complemented by NIE-certified tutors to support parents and their children during these tough times.

2 June 2020 marked the resumption of school with strict social distancing measures in place as Singapore inched its way out of the Circuit Breaker’s Phase 2 period. All national school games have been cancelled for the year and alternative ways of conducting CCAs have been implemented. The mid-year examinations were cancelled, much to the merriment of our Singaporean students and the common last topic (CLT) has been removed from the teaching curriculum and the national examinations in 2020.

In a highly-competitive and edu-centric system like Singapore, parents, whose aim has always been to provide the best for their children (especially in the academic field), have had to deal with the harsh reality of the ever-increasing inflation of tuition. In addition to the disruption of children’s learning with school closures and home-based learning (HBL), tuition now comes at a hefty price and options have become limited for middle income families during the pandemic period. They battle the fear of their children’s exam readiness alongside the prospect of future uncertainty. As salaries are cut and jobs are lost, the once less vulnerable in society have now become the vulnerable - and it does not stop there. The “need versus want” rule-of-thumb has suddenly become an excruciating reality.

Singapore households spent S$1.4 billion on tuition, based on the Household Expenditure Survey conducted by the Department of Statistics from October 2017 to September 2018. In an article published by the Straits Times, Singaporean parents spend a median monthly amount of $155-$255 on tuition. The amount would vary, naturally, between families.

A more jaw-dropping statistic is that out of all the Singaporeans who currently have children enrolled in tuition, 1 in 2 spend more than $500 per child. 80% of Singaporean believe that tuition is beneficial to their children’s education (especially average-performing children) and 46% of Singaporean parents think tuition is necessary for their children to stay ahead of the competition.

Having said this, parents and students alike are now faced with a new adversary whilst in the midst of exam-preparations – the possibility of the being infected with the coronavirus.

Safety still remains the top priority amongst most parents and while some tuition centres have reinstated their physical classes, parents still err on the side of caution and opt for online class-based programmes instead.

In August 2020, PAL Learning will launch more affordable online class-based lessons through an edu-solution enrichment programme. Spanning across 27 programmes and backed by research and a team with deep expertise in online design and efficacy, the architects of PAL Learning offer an effective alternative to the current dearth of options. PAL Learning offers P1 to P6 English, Math and Science programmes to suit the learning needs of every child.

Every month for the rest of 2020, each PAL Learning student will receive:

1. One lesson a week per programme

2. An e-learning resource library

3. Assessment booklets (hard-copy)

4. Adaptive online assessments and reports

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PAL Learning combines the best of both worlds. We provide convenience and savings for parents while ensuring that children receive tuition from tutors with specialised teaching methods and materials

Parents can benefit from a home-based learning format that also keeps our children safe. There is no commute and no gathering with other children in small, enclosed environments.

More information about PAL Learning can be found on our website at www.pal-learning.com or schedule a call with our customer service officers through this link.