Tuition's importance in the Malaysian education system

What is the role our schools as it seems tuition has gained more importance than the actual time spent in schools itself? Shall we scrape schools altogether and just concentrate on tuition centres?

Those are my thoughts after reading the news item below from the New Straits Times, 29 June 2012.

The government has approved an allocation of RM2 million from a special fund to implement the interactive 1Malaysia People's Tuition programme (iTR1M) to give free tuition to 10,000 students in Selangor who will be sitting for public examinations this year.


Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak launched the programme implemented by the Malaysian Teachers Foundation Berhad (YGBM) at Seri Perdana, here, today. Also present was YGBM chairman Tan Seri Alimuddin Mohd Dom.     
Alimuddin said the pioneer project, implemented in Selangor, would benefit poor students who could not afford to attend private tuition classes but would be sitting for the UPSR, PMR and SPM examinations this year.    

"The iTR1M programme will help boost the academic performance of students from low income families to achieve excellence in the examinations," he told reporters after the launching ceremony.    

Alimuddin said the programme which started on June 18 and will end in October, was implemented in 107 schools, namely, 30 secondary schools and 77 primary schools in Selangor.  

He said 350 teachers from the schools concerned would give tuition in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mathmetics and Science every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

"The aim of the iTR1M programme is to give free guidance outside of school hours for children of low income earners from the various communities and help them optimise the use of the 'Netbook 1Malaysia' and ICT facilities provided by the government," he said in a statement.    

Alimuddin said under the programme, UPSR candidates used the learning and self-evaluation method online from houses, schools and community centres (Rural Libraries, Community Broadband Centres and rural information hubs).    

He said for PMR and SPM candidates, conventional guidance in several selected secondary schools would be held from 3pm to 5pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.    

Furthermore, he said SPM candidates sitting for pure sciences (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) would use the learning and self-evaluation method online from home.    

"Preparatory seminars and workshops to face the examinations would be held towards the dates of the examinations," he said.

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