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Huge rush for strict tuition courses
Over 500 parents queue to enrol children for summer classes
Hundreds of parents
queue up for courses
that they believe provide
a ‘unique’ learning
experience.
(Sing Tao Daily)
W
HILE many families
were still asleep at
6am on Sunday, hundreds of parents were queueing at a Sha Tin
(沙田) tuition centre to enrol their precious
ones for summer classes.
About 500 to 700 parents queued up at
the headquarters of ACME Learning Centre
(致臻研習社) at Citimark (都會廣場) for the
classes that start in mid-July.
At HK$3,000 for Chinese, English and
Maths classes, parents are attracted by the
‘unique and spartan’ training the centre has
been offering since the 1990s.
nese, English, Maths and General Studies.
The centre’s website later announced that
all 234 courses ─ 136 secondary and 98
primary ─ are full.
now
K
o
T
e
r
o
M
elle centre is w
th
member said
ff
a
st
roach
r
e
rm
A fo
arental app
p
a
s
e
k
ta
ause it
w up
known bec
do not sho
ts
n
e
d
u
st
. “If the
nts
to teaching
up their pare
g
in
ll
a
c
p
e
e
ff will k
ded,
in class, sta
said. He ad
e
h
”
,
rs
a
e
p
p
dent a
such
until the stu
tice papers
c
ra
p
f
o
ts
offer lo
ill also
“They also
nts. They w
e
d
u
st
r
fo
A father, surnamed Chu, said: “Children
ension
ring
as compreh
students du
to
ly
e
e
fr
g
can learn something which they cannot learn
trainin
offer extra
s.”
in normal schools. They also learn discipline.”
exam period
If each class had signed up eight students, the centre could have enrolled at least
1,872 students in the one-off admission exercise. Parents believe ACME can provide
unique education for their children.
For secondary school children, the centre
provides tutorial classes in Chinese, English,
Maths, Extended Maths (modules 1 and 2),
Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
A primary teacher at a school nearby said
students will do their ACME homework during
recess to avoid late submission, but submit
their homework late at his school. “If students
do not learn properly, they cannot leave the
centre, even at 8pm or 9pm.”
Primary school children are offered Chi-
(The Standard, 18 May 2015)
P03
Thursday 21 May 2015
Text: Ms Yee
Photos: Sing Tao Daily
5W1H
5W
When
Where
Who
17 May 2015.
Hong Kong.
ACME Learning Centre.
Vocabulary
What
Why
How
enrol (v) 報名
Hundreds of parents queued up at its
headquarters at Citimark, Sha Tin.
They wanted to enrol their children for
summer courses.
Parents arrived in the early hours of the
morining to form a queue.
M: Meaning
E: Example
M: to arrange for oneself or for somebody else to
officially join a course, school, etc
E: You have to enrol on the course before the
end of this month.
The British say ‘enrol on’ or ‘enrol at’ while the
Americans spell it: ‘enroll’ and say ‘enroll in’. We
can also ‘enrol somebody for’ a course.
E: She decided to enrol at the college.
E: Our school is ready to enrol candidates for
the new programme.
Comprehension
1
Circle the correct answers
1. Where is the tuition centre?
A. Sha Tin
B. Tai Po (大埔)
C. Yuen Long (元朗)
2. The parents wanted to enrol their children
for…
A. evening classes
B. interview classes
C. summer classes
3. The centre has a history of about _____
years.
A. 10
B. 20
C. 40
4. The centre offered primary courses on
_____ subjects.
A. four
B. five
C. six
5. A parent said that children also learn
_____ at the centre.
A. discipline
B. manners
C. exam techniques
6. A primary teacher said students will do
ACME homework during …
A. classes
B. recess
C. exam periods
Answers on P12
Think About It
Do you think children need to have extra tuition classes during
the summer? Or should the summer be a time for students to
relax and take time off learning? Why?
I feel that…
tuition (n) 教學
M: the act of teaching something, especially to one
person or a small group
E: That little girl is receiving private tuition in
Spanish (西班牙文).
2
headquarters (n) 總部
M: a place from which an organisation is
controlled
E: That engineer is now based at headquarters.
3
unique (adj) 獨特的
M: very special or unusual
E: The durian has a very unique smell and
flavour.
4
spartan (adj) 艱苦的
M: simple and severe
E: The whole family are leading quite a spartan
lifestyle.
5
admission (n) 准許加入/收生
M: the act of accepting somebody into an
institution
E: The dogs were refused admission.
6
exercise (n) 活動
M: an activity that is designed to achieve a
particular result
E: Such a campaign seems to be a pointless
exercise.