By Amanda Yong

IF you pull your son out, he will not be allowed back in again.

This was what one tuition centre told a parent when she tried to withdraw her son from his Primary Six mathematics class.

The housewife, who wanted to be known only as Madam Zhang, had gone to Yes Mathematics Tuition Centre in Jurong East on 7 Sep to inform them that she would be pulling out her son after this month.

But the 39-year-old woman ended up arguing with the centre's principal and a teacher over its quirky policy.

It irked her so much that she took her son out of his class 50 minutes into the two-hour session and they left in a huff.

Madam Zhang said in Mandarin: 'I wanted my son to have tuition only until the end of this month because I think he should have a clear mind before his PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examinations).'

She did not think it was necessary for him to attend the last class scheduled for 5 Oct.

The PSLE written examinations start on 3 Oct. The mathematics paper is on 6 Oct.

'They were not happy when I said I wanted to take my child out and kept insisting that I follow their rules,' she said.

According to Yes Mathematics, among the terms and conditions stated in its registration form is the requirement that students must complete the run of classes before they withdraw. One month's notice must also be given.

But the form does not state that the centre will blacklist students who have withdrawn and not allow them to re-enrol in future.

Unwritten rule

Neither are new students or their parents verbally notified of this rule.

'I never knew about it and I think it is really odd to have such a rule,' said Madam Zhang. 'The principal even told me that they had 30 such cases previously.'

When contacted, a shareholder in Yes Mathematics, who wanted to be known only as Mr Zhang, admitted that the centre has such a policy. The centre has been in operation since 2001.

He said: 'This is one of the rules we have had since long ago, but of course we don't list it down on a piece of paper.'

He added that 'it was not a secret'.

'We are well-known in the Jurong area and our students know that we have this policy,' said Mr Ang.

After Madam Zhang and her son left, he had asked the remaining students in the class if they knew that the centre had such a rule, and their reply was 'yes'.

Mr Ang, who taught in a secondary school here for five years, said they came up with the 'unwritten rule' after a student quit the centre when her school grades improved from 40 to 80 marks.

The student returned to the centre the next year to seek help. But after passing her exam, she again withdrew from the centre.

When she returned the third year, the centre rejected her as they 'felt used'.

Said Mr Ang: 'We had many such cases in the first few years and this caused us a lot of problems.'

He revealed that as a result of this policy, the centre has rejected about 20 such 'returning students' this year alone.

'We want students who are committed for the long term. We screen them based on their learning attitudes and don't accept students who don't show commitment,' he said.

The New Paper contacted six other tuition centres, all of which said they do not blacklist former students. They said their doors remain open to those who drop out.

Parents The New Paper spoke to also said they had not come across this rule elsewhere.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Sept 29, 2008.