PUPILS from Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) get to play computer games designed specially for them during their mathematics classes.

The man behind the games is the head of the school's Gifted Education Programme (GEP), Mr Terry Tan. The 51-year-old started designing computer games for his classes 15 years ago to engage his pupils better.

'Boys can be competitive, they want to win. So I decided to come up with some games which they can play to compete with one another. They are also excited when they know that their teacher made the games just for them,' said the teacher who has taught at ACS (Primary) for 22 years.

Mr Tan said he is particularly touched when his former pupils return to visit him after they graduate.

When The Straits Times went to the school on Monday, the eve of Teacher's Day, one of his former pupils Kenny Loke had come to pay him a visit.

Kenny, a 15-year-old student at Hwa Chong Institution, said: 'I remember Mr Tan's classes because we played so many games. We didn't get to do so in other classes. One game which I still remember was this fish game, it was fun. '

The 'fish game' he was referring to is a puzzle designed to train pupils in logical thinking. To win, they have to get a fish to swim out of a maze while avoiding a shark.

Mr Tan almost did not become a teacher. He decided to work in an electronics factory after graduating from polytechnic to put his engineering diploma to use.

'I gave tuition to primary and secondary students when I was a polytechnic student. And I found teaching much more fulfilling than my work in the factory. Looking back, I am very glad I made the switch,' he said.

AMELIA TAN

This article was first published in The Straits Times.