"NATURAL PARENTAL ANXIETY"
Dr Jason Tan, associate professor for policy, curriculum and leadership at the National Institute of Education, said these enrichment programmes are ubiquitous.
“All of these enrichment programmes hold out the promise of being fun and enjoyable, and the provision of valuable learning experiences which cover not only thinking skills but also creativity and social and emotional skills such as teamwork,” he added.
“Of course, if we look at the wider backdrop, the Ministry of Education for the past few decades has been pushing very strongly this idea of holistic development rather than an obsession with academic grades.”
Dr Tan stressed that it is becoming “increasingly clear” that education is not just about the core academic subjects covered in school.
“There's a whole variety of learning experiences out there,” he added.
“That's what the term enrichment suggests - it talks about adding something else to mainstream schooling experiences in order to enhance the quality of children's educational experiences.”
On whether enrichment classes are necessary at such a young age, Dr Tan noted that for some, there is “natural parental anxiety to make sure that their children stay competitive and not fall too far behind, especially in the case of preschoolers”.
But parents have to be careful that these activities do not become additional pressures, he said.
“Enrichment is meant to increase the quality of your educational experiences and it's not meant to add extra stress, which will detract of course from your educational experience,” Dr Tan added.
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