Asian parents are spending billions of dollars on private tutors for their children, and the practice is growing despite doubts about its effectiveness, according to an Asian Development Bank study published Wednesday, AFP reported.

"Shadow education" is an expanding business not only in wealthy countries, but also in some of the region's poorer nations as parents try to give their children the best start in life, the study said. Nearly nine out of 10 South Korean elementary pupils receive private tutoring, while the figure for primary school children in India's West Bengal state stands at six out of 10.

The study estimated that the costs of private tutoring in South Korea were equivalent to 80 percent of government spending on public education. Japan spent $12 billion on extra teaching in 2010, while the figure for Singapore stood at US$680 million in 2008.

Extra academic work aims to help slow learners and support high achievers. Many Asian parents view it as a constructive way for adolescents to spend their spare time. However, it can also reduce the students' time for sports and other activities important for their overall development as well as cause social tensions as richer families are able to pay for better-quality tutoring, the study said.

The study calls for a review of educational systems to make such extra teaching less attractive.

(China.org.cn July 6, 2012)

法新社報(bào)道，據(jù)亞洲發(fā)展銀行周三發(fā)表的研究顯示，亞洲家長(zhǎng)為孩子請(qǐng)家教花去億萬(wàn)美元，雖然人們對(duì)家教是否有效存在質(zhì)疑，但家教卻越來(lái)越流行。

該研究表示，家長(zhǎng)想給孩子們一個(gè)最佳的人生起點(diǎn)，因此“開(kāi)小灶”的生意不僅在富國(guó)，在一些窮國(guó)也越做越大。在韓國(guó)，9/10的小學(xué)生請(qǐng)著家教，而在印度西孟加拉邦，小學(xué)生請(qǐng)家教的比例為6/10。

研究估計(jì)，韓國(guó)的請(qǐng)家教花費(fèi)相當(dāng)于政府公共教育投入的80%。2010年，日本在課外輔導(dǎo)上花了120億美元；2008年，新加坡的這項(xiàng)花費(fèi)為6.8億美元。

課外輔導(dǎo)是為了幫助后進(jìn)生，也是外了幫優(yōu)秀生保持好成績(jī)。在許多亞洲父母看來(lái)，這也是未成年子女度過(guò)課外時(shí)間的有益方法。然而，該研究表示，課外輔導(dǎo)也會(huì)削減學(xué)生全面發(fā)展所需的運(yùn)動(dòng)時(shí)間和其它活動(dòng)時(shí)間，還會(huì)引發(fā)社會(huì)關(guān)系緊張，因?yàn)榧彝ピ礁挥校湍苷?qǐng)得起越好的家教。

該研究呼吁重新審視教學(xué)體系，從而降低課外輔導(dǎo)的吸引力。