Maths software ‘may not add up’

By Shaun Inguanzo
GREATER Dandenong schools are urging parents to consult teachers before spending up to $8000 on maths tutoring software.
The software is often sold in shopping centres by salespeople who then arrange in-home visits and offer credit contracts to parents.
But schools across the city are concerned by the tactics used to sell the products and say that children with learning difficulties may have other problems that computer-based teaching will not solve.
In its school newsletter this week, Springvale Secondary College issued a warning it said came from Consumer Affairs Victoria that urged parents to be wary of committing to maths tutoring software packages.
“The software they are selling generally costs $5000 to $6000,” the newsletter reads.
“If the sales representative offers a credit contract to finance the sale, it will cost a lot more – often between $8000 and $10,000.
“It is very, very expensive. Do not buy it. Talk to someone at the school first.”
Springvale Secondary College did not wish to comment on the newsletter item when contacted by Star.
But principal of Yarraman Park Primary School in Noble Park, Bill Liston, said in his experiences at Yarraman and other schools, salespeople tried “a whole variety of tactics” to ensure the deal was done.
“The way they do it (the software) sounds reasonably economic to start off with, but at the end of the day it costs a lot,” Mr Liston said.
“I’m not saying the software is not necessarily good – it could be – but you have to bring in the whole concept of cost and who it will be good for.
“It is one set of software, so is it going to be good for a whole range of children who learn in certain sorts of ways?”
Mr Liston said the software could not supplement the work of teachers who knew the students best.
He also recommended one-on-one tuition.
“If you have got a child that has difficulty with mathematics, often they find instructions (including on computers) hard to follow,” he said.
“Parents should consult with their classroom teacher before buying tuition software.”