SMET
Click here to read the full news in Strait Time News Students in need of private tuition but who cannot afford to pay the fees are being given a growing number of options. Along with community centres and self-help groups, they can now turn to several tuition centres and groups from universities and religious organisations that have started offering help in the last few years. The Stag Match Tuition Centre, for example, has been giving free tuition since 2009. Four of its 14 branches cater to students from low-income families. More than 400 needy students were enrolled last year, up from 50 in 2009. Students from households with a monthly income of below $3,500 qualify. They pay just $4 per month for materials to prevent individuals from taking advantage of the scheme. Stag Match’s director Alex Wong said: “Some come from broken families or have uneducated parents, but they are more hardworking than their peers who are better-off.” Bedok View Secondary School student Casper Chong, 13, who attends the centre said: “My parents wanted me to come here, otherwise I have nothing to do at home.”
