Tuitions -- Bane or boon?

The tuition business has blossomed over the decades, with the fee per subject starting in the hundreds and reaching into thousands...

Lubna Jerar Naqvi

There was a time when tuitions were considered to be a taboo for 'studious' students, and were usually meant for the average. There were no proper tuition centres, except a few in the country, since the studies at schools were enough for the students to grasp the concept being taught. The teachers were good at what they were doing, and this was reflected in their students. The weak students were given extra classes in schools, or they would study in groups with the brighter ones. If tuitions were ever given, they were given for free. Those taking tuitions were studying privately and under the guidance of a proper teacher and with the help of study notes from the regular students.

But since education has almost always been one of the most neglected fields, seldom have governments provided teachers with a better pay scale so that they may impart good education. This as we have seen, has lead to a slump in the general quality of education and the mushrooming of not only tuition centres, a bane to education, but also of a myriad of low quality schools.

How did it start?

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially in Karachi, the best help that students could get were extra classes held on weekends in schools or the guess papers for five to ten years for exams. But by the end of the 1980s, there was a sudden slackness in the education given at schools. The teachers were paid low, and they needed a chance to elevate their low pay. They found this in the form of tuitions, which was an extremely lucrative and honest business where they could make ends meet. The studies in classes started to change and more students opted for tuitions, especially those who were applying for O and A levels. There were even incidents where teachers would force their students to take tuitions apart from the regular classes in schools. And they intentionally started giving 'incomplete' lectures in schools to attract more students towards tuitions. When those taking tuitions excelled, others felt that they too needed for tuitions. But

actually they were introducing a never ending system into our education of depending on tuitions which resulted in the increase in monetary gain of the teachers and a depletion of education.

This tuition frenzy reached a zenith during the 1990s .So much so that many tutors established tuition centres, while many tuition centres branched out into a network of tuition centres. And many people made it big both in terms of money and fame. Just like at regular colleges, students clamoured for a 'seat' at the renowned tutors or prestigious tuition / coaching centres, which resulted in an increase in demand and therefore a simultaneous increase in supply.

The current scenario:

The tuition business has blossomed over the decades, with fee per subject starting in the hundreds the reaching into thousands and supported by the willingness of the students to pay for these. Then students, especially science students, started opting for coaching classes, which is just another name for tuition centres, even for practicals. This led to the dwindling of students from regular classes and opting for these centres. Eventually especially college level science students, started frequent bunking of regular classes and only coming to college to maintain the required number of attendance so that the colleges may issue their admit cards required for examination. They spent most of their time attending classes at their coaching centres and using prepared notes to study.

The malice of tuitions has seeped down to almost all classes, some catering to children as young as 3 and 4 year of age. The main reason for this is that parents seldom have the time or required skills to teach their children what is being taught at schools nowadays. This means that parents have to double their income to pay for the exorbitant expenses of education at schools and tuitions, plus uniform, stationary, transport and daily expenses; which in turn means lesser time to spend with their children in the process of impeding their relation with them.

Then every school, no matter how good or bad, is flushed with numerous students which means that in every class there is around at least 23-40 students, implying that a single teacher is unable to give any attention to all children and therefore cannot help every student individually, which means that the weak students are left to fend for themselves. This incomplete form of teaching at school ensures that the weak students become weaker and therefore turn to tuitions to try and cope with schoolwork. Coupled with this is the problem of untrained and at times ill-educated teachers at many schools are handling something as vital as education. Their inexperience and lack of training plays havoc with the basic education, which leads to many other problems. This adds to the tuition culture; it is another story that most tutors do not impart the kind of education which they do after earning a good income without any pain.

In a nutshell:

Now that the culture of tuitions is here, it will be very difficult to end it. It is time that the ministry of education devised a plan of creating an exclusive education network affordable by all classes of society, equipped with properly trained but well paid staff at every town in every city so that children of that town/district can be enrolled in that school/college. There should be a uniform and well-formulated curriculum of international standard to be taught at all these institutions, so that the student does not spend their whole day engulfed with textbooks. They should be allowed space for extra curricular activities so that they can enjoy their childhood/teen years, and not only have memories of spending time between schools/colleges and tuition centres. The more intelligent students can be singled out by tests and given a diversified education, but this should not be lumped upon every child with or without aptitude for the same.