Tuitions A Necessity Or Money-Making Business?

Private tuitions have become so ingrained in the current education system that any child not taking tuition will be a big surprise for most people. As of now, kids start taking tuitions as early as 4 years of age. Private tuitions are in addition to the time spent learning at the school. And private tuitions are quite costly, especially when children start taking multiple tuitions for different subjects.

With such high dependance on private tuitions, it raises questions about the quality of school education. It makes us wonder why time spent at school is not enough and why private tuitions are given so much importance. Could it be that tuitions are just a way to make money? It is quite possible, as tuition industry generates revenues worth several thousand crores annually. Are tuitions just a marketing hype to earn billions? Do children really need tuitions? Well, to answer such questions, here are some important things to know about private tuitions.

Too many students in classroom – Ideally, a class should have around 15 to 30 kids. However, this is hardly the case in real world. Usually, classrooms in India have much higher numbers at around 60 kids or even more. Due to this, teachers are not able to give attention to each and every kid in the class. They are not able to address the doubts and queries of all students. Even if they try, they will not be able to complete the syllabus in time.

Lack of teachers / teaching skills – A significant percentage of teaching posts are lying vacant in government schools. This means additional burden on available teachers and increased pressure to complete the syllabus in time. Another reason is that many teachers may lack the skills needed to communicate properly with kids. Also, some teachers may lack the expertise needed in a particular subject.

No help from parents – There are many situations where parents may not be able to help their kids with their educational needs. They may either be busy with their professional commitments or may not have the expertise as expected from a teacher.

Varying learning capabilities – Each kid is different in terms of their learning abilities. Some kids can learn faster whereas others may need more time to understand a particular topic. Schools are unable to adjust their teaching speed, as they have to complete the syllabus in time. As a result, slow learners get negatively impacted in this situation.

Good in one subject, weak in another – It is quite common for students to be strong in some subjects and not so good in others. For example, a student may be good in languages, but may face difficulties in mathematics. Such students may need to spend additional time on their weak subjects, something that is unlikely to be available at school.

Due to above factors, parents often turn to private tuitions. It’s not an easy choice, as parents have to shell out huge amounts for private tuitions. But they hardly have any other alternatives. Moreover, it’s their belief that tuitions are necessary for ensuring a bright future for their kids.

Negative aspects of private tuitions

While above factors may justify the need for private tuitions, it is certainly not a necessity. While the majority of students take tuitions, there are quite a few students that manage to do without them. There are many students who have got the top rank even without private tuitions.

Apart from being costly, private tuitions can also promote rote learning. It may prevent kids from making efforts to learn something new, to experiment, to learn from failures, etc. Tuitions may inhibit overall development, something that can truly be achieved by taking on challenges head-on. Kids need to be encouraged to learn on their own, even when they may be facing difficult in a specific topic or subject. Private tuitions may help students get good marks at school, but they may face problems later when they have to deal with real-life challenges.

While we are not against tuitions, parents can give their child an opportunity to learn on their own. Just pushing kids into tuitions right from start doesn’t seem to be the right thing to do. Parents can assess their child’s performance, based on which, private tuitions can be considered.