Newspaper Review 1.

Date: 27 November 08
Title: More student-care centres in schools [B1]
The Straits Times, Part B: Home

Outline:
Student-care centres will be set up in a number of primary schools in Singapore. In Sembawang Primary School, the students pay $290 a month for a place in the programme but government subsidies can lower the amount to as little as $157. Centres outside the school charge around $250. Pupils in the afternoon session can be dropped off at the centre at 7.30am whilst those in the morning session go to the session after school and stay there till 7pm.

Reflection:
Personally, I feel that this is very ideal and beneficial to the students. Firstly, the students would not be required to leave the safe premises of the school to centres outside school. Often, safety is the main concern of parents, and being in school, the chances of any ‘dangers’ are slimmer, as sometimes, the children have to take public transport to the various centres by themselves.

Not only that, but mostly, the ‘tutors’ are the National Institute of Education-trained teachers which can provide a high level of education to students in this programme. These well-trained teachers work with the children’s own teachers, and thus, they know the children’s various weaknesses and slightly overlook the subjects which they are better at and mainly focus on the subjects they are weaker at. Statistics from the newspaper article show that student’s in these centres have improving grades.

Besides, this programme is quite reasonably-priced, and with government subsidies, it can be considered as ‘cheap’ compared to external centres.

Furthermore, the courses the children take are aligned to the curriculum, so that the courses can aid the students in their schoolwork.

Therefore, I firmly believe that more schools should be home to these student-care centres.

Valerie Lim.