Singapore's Private Tutoring Boom Reveals the Hidden Cost of Success
Three minutes was all Leshane Lim gave herself to scarf down food as she rushed between private tutoring classes. In the midst of school-entry examinations, the then 16-year-old Singaporean was cramming feverishly, scheduling three after-hours sessions every day, back to back. With her options for future schools and ultimately her career path on the line, the stakes seemed high.
'I used to think it was the end of the world,' said Lim, now 18. 'I put myself in that position because I wanted to do well.'
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Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
RDHS students gain real-world skills through apprenticeship program
Three Ridgetown District High School students are taking full advantage of hands-on skills training experience as they explore their career choices. Alex Stirling, Reece Osterhout, and Cam Holman are participating in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program. The three students work in an apprenticeship trade in the afternoon after attending regular classes in the morning at RDHS. Stirling is doing his cooperative placement at the Main & Market Service Centre, Holman at Fabmaster Welding Ltd., and Osterhout at Huron Tractor (formerly McGrail Tractor) near Chatham. OYAP allows full-time Grade 11 and 12 students to train with certified professionals in a skilled trade. As OYAP participants, the hours students accumulate in their placements may be eligible to be counted towards an apprenticeship. Some OYAP students may become registered apprentices with their Cooperative Education placements while completing the requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. The program provides employers the opportunity to train the skilled workers they require down the road. As the demand for skilled workers in the construction and manufacturing sectors is expected to increase significantly over the next decade, the provincial government is taking action by introducing programs such as OYAP to fast-track tradespeople into the workforce. Osterhout's apprenticeship at Huron Tractor has already led to a college scholarship for the John Deere tech program, and he will be employed by the company when he graduates. 'After I get out of high school, they're offered a scholarship at Fanshawe in the general tech program with an immediate position with them when I'm done at school,' Osterhout said. Growing up on a farm, Osterhout was leaning towards a career as an agronomist. 'That was before I found this co-op placement,' Osterhout said about his change in career course. 'I always liked working on things in shop class, and I like what I'm doing there (at Huron).' Osterhout attends his two-morning classes at RHDS before driving to Chatham, where his co-op placement hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2:10 p.m., in alignment with school hours. Because of his skill and eagerness to work and learn, Huron granted Osterhout extended time above his placement to 5 p.m. daily. Osterhout said he has done a number of tasks at Huron, including a project that lasted over three weeks. 'They had a tractor come in that had the top of its cab torn off when it went under an underpass,' he explained. 'My job was to assist in repairing the damaged cab and reassembling it.' He said he assisted in conducting the repair job, which took many hours to complete. Stirling, like Osterhout, grew up on a farm and considered a career in agriculture before getting his co-op placement at the Main & Market auto repair shop. 'I've always liked working at the shop here at school and thought it would be a great opportunity to get educated in the trades in a working environment,' Stirling said about signing up for OYAP.' It's been a really great experience; it has gotten me a lot of training, a lot of hands-on work, experience you really can't get just inside school.' Stirling said he has 'done just about everything' in his placement—brakes, tires, repairs, servicing vehicles, and absorbing all of the advice he can while learning from the shop's technicians. 'I still haven't decided what I want to do,' Stirling said. 'I'm looking at anything in agriculture or continuing with a mechanical trade and wherever that may lead me.' Although Holman is looking to go to St. Clair College in Chatham for the power line technician course, welding has always been one of his favourite activities in shop class. 'I've always been interested in welding, so I thought, why not go to some place local to develop my skills and see if it would be a career choice in the future,' Holman said about applying and being accepted for his Co-op placement at Fabmaster. 'I had some friends who did their co-op there, and they loved it.' Holman said he has been doing a variety of welding jobs, as well as cutting and grinding. 'I want to be a power line technician, but welding is definitely my plan B,' Holman said. He added that there are some welding tasks in power line work: ' It's aluminum welding with a different gun, but they're willing to teach me how to do that for my future.' Natalie Budd, English Department, Cooperative Education and Specialist High Skills Major Lead at RDHS, said the three students are thrilled with their apprenticeships. 'Every morning, they come running in to tell me all about the things they've done,' she said. 'They're so excited about what they're working on.' Budd said on top of getting the on-the-job experience, the three students in OYAP and other students in the school's Co-op program are required to make a presentation highlighting the skills they have learned and tasks they have completed with photos and videos of their experience. Budd said she appreciates all the local employers who have accepted RDHS students into their workplace to gain valuable experience as they weigh their options for the future. Along with the OYAP and Co-op programs, RDHS offers Specialist High-Skills Major programming in agriculture, construction, and health and wellness. SHSM, a ministry-approved initiative, assists students in getting a head start on their future and focusing on a specific sector while earning their secondary school diploma. The program is designed to prepare students for success in any post-secondary pathway – workplace, apprenticeship, college or university as they take courses tailored to their sector of interest and gain valuable training in Cooperative Education placements. Successful program graduates receive a special SHSM Red Seal on their diploma, a detailed record of their credit bundle, certifications, placements, and other experiences, and formal recognition on their Ontario Student Transcript. All SHSM students receive mandatory training, including Worker Health and Safety Awareness, WHMIS, First Aid, and CPR and AED training. Students enrolled in construction receive Working at Heights certifications and other training, such as elevated platforms and confined spaces. 'Last year, the kids in construction were excited when they received their certification for working at heights because this allowed them to do more at their co-op placements,' Budd said. The Health and Wellness students complete training in areas such as injury prevention, infection control, diet and exercise for sports, wellness strategies, physiotherapy, and art therapy. Students registered in the Agriculture SHSM are often given an opportunity to complete their Pesticide license. This year, they also attended an agricultural conference planned by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority. Students are required to attend classroom courses, training, and field trips to businesses and companies associated with their field of choice to gain more exposure to the work settings and skill sets required for the job. Successful SHSM students have doors opened to their chosen careers, including post-secondary education or apprenticeships, to accelerate their paths to full-time employment in high-paying skilled trade jobs. Budd meets with Grade 10 students early in the spring to inform them about the SHSM program, OYAP, and Co-op opportunities. With the success of OYAP, the province is introducing Focused Apprenticeship Skills Training (FAST) this fall, which will allow Grade 11 and 12 students to participate in more apprenticeship learning through additional cooperative education credits. FAST will allow students to take up to 80 percent of their senior courses in co-op education. This program will accelerate entrance into the skilled trades, supported by the mandatory requirement for all students to take at least one Technological Education course, which started last year. Students and parents can explore more about the Specialist High Skills Major program online at Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? 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The Verge
7 hours ago
- The Verge
China shuts down AI tools during nationwide college exams
Chinese AI companies have temporarily paused some of their chatbot features to prevent students from using them to cheat during nationwide college exams, Bloomberg reports. Popular AI apps, including Alibaba's Qwen and ByteDance's Doubao, have stopped picture recognition features from responding to questions about test papers, while Tencent's Yuanbao, Moonshot's Kimi have suspended photo-recognition services entirely during exam hours. The increasing availability of chatbots has made it easier than ever for students around the world to cheat their way through education. Schools in the US are trying to address the issue by reintroducing paper tests, with the Wall Street Journal reporting in May that sales of blue books have boomed in universities across the country over the last two years. The rigorous multi-day 'gaokao' exams are sat by more than 13.3 million Chinese students between June 7-10th, each fighting to secure one of the limited spots at universities across the country. Students are already banned from using devices like phones and laptops during the hours-long tests, so the disabling of AI chatbots serves as an additional safety net to prevent cheating during exam season. When asked to explain the suspension, Bloomberg reports the Yuanbao and Kimi chatbots responded that functions had been disabled 'to ensure the fairness of the college entrance examinations.' Similarly, the DeepSeek AI tool that went viral earlier this year is also blocking its service during specific hours 'to ensure fairness in the college entrance examination,' according to The Guardian. We were unable to find any public announcements from the AI companies mentioned, with The Guardian reporting that news around the shutdowns is being driven by students on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. The gaokao entrance exam incites fierce competition as it's the only means to secure a college placement in China, driving concerns that students may try to improve their chances with AI tools.
CNBC
7 hours ago
- CNBC
Shein seen boosting Indian manufacturing as U.S.-China trade war shakes up supply chains
Fast fashion giant Shein is reportedly set to boost its manufacturing in India with a view to bolstering its international supply chains amid the ongoing U.S.-China trade war. The Chinese-founded, Singapore-headquartered brand and Indian partner Reliance Retail are set to expand their supplier base in the South Asian country and begin international sales of India-made Shein clothes within the next six to 12 months, Reuters reported Monday, citing sources. The plans aim to increase Indian suppliers from 150 to 1,000 within a year, they added. Shein told CNBC the partnership was limited to the licensing of its brand to Reliance Retail for Indian domestic consumption only. Reliance did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to the sources, discussions between the firms were underway ahead of fresh U.S. tariffs on China and the closure of the former's 'de minimis' trade loophole. Analysts nevertheless dubbed it a potentially savvy move given brewing trade tensions and increased scrutiny over Shein's supply chains ahead of its closely watched initial public offering. ''Shein's expansion of its production in India is on the face of it a shrewd move, given the trade headwinds facing the company," Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, told CNBC via email. "It does look like using India as a manufacturing base is a long-term plan and the current tariff challenges could speed this up," Ed Sander, analyst at Tech Buzz China, added. Shein launched in India in 2018 but it was banned in 2020 as part of a government clampdown on Chinese firms. It returned to India in February, as part of a licensing deal with Reliance Industries, the conglomerate owned by Asia's richest person, Mukesh Ambani. The partnership is one of many Reliance has with global clothing brands including Brooks Brothers, Marks & Spencer and Diesel. Under the deal, Shein-branded clothes are produced domestically in India and sold on the website. This differs from most other Shein websites, which list products made in China. The firm nevertheless has existing manufacturing in Brazil and Turkey. An official from Reliance Retail said at the time that Shein would use India as "supply source for its global operations," according to the BBC. They added that the deal would simultaneously help Reliance in "building the network" and training Indian garment manufacturers as part of India's wider plans to promote its textile and garments export industry. "I doubt if the option of exporting elsewhere from India will be the main aim at the moment," Sander said, noting current limitations around India's factory capacity. "Having said that, this could change in the future if Reliance scales up." It comes as other companies have also been ramping up their production in India as they seek to avoid the most punitive tariffs on China. Tariffs on India are currently held at 10% while trade negotiations remain underway. "With the outcome of U.S. China trade talks still unclear, diversifying the manufacturing base to other parts of the world which could benefit from lower tariffs on exports to the U.S. looks sensible," Streeter said in emailed comments. U.S. tech giant Apple has also been boosting its production in India with a view to making around 25% of global iPhones in the country in the coming years. Those plans sparked backlash from U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to impose 25% tariffs on such goods. The timing is especially interesting for Shein, however, as it seeks to overcome scrutiny in its troubled pursuit of an IPO. The e-commerce behemoth reportedly recently shifted its listing from London to Hong Kong after failing to receive approval from Chinese regulators. Shein has long sought to shake allegations over the use of forced labor to produce its low-cost goods — claims it vehemently denies. Still, some raised concerns about whether India would provide the silver bullet. "India is not without risk in this respect. There have been reports of labor violations amounting to forced and child labor occurring on cotton farms supplying to three Indian textile suppliers to 60 multinational clothing brands," Streeter said. "Among responsible consumers and investors, there still may be significant skepticism about this move.'' A spokesperson for the Indian government did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on the claims.
