Private tuition is now so rampant in the country that it is hard to find a student who has never gone for extra coaching. Traditionally, weak students have gone for private tuition, but now it has grown into a parallel form of education. For weak students, private tuition is the only way to improve their performance, while for those who are considered intelligent, it is a shortcut to higher marks.
Most expatriate students and parents would defend private tuition, saying it is nearly impossible to make a good career without scoring high marks since academics and the job market have become highly competitive the world over. Even a 95 percent score may not get them a seat in a quality higher education institution back home, especially in a country like India.
Whether private tuition is good or bad is not the issue. Private tutors will continue to thrive as long as there are students seeking their services. However, when such tuition becomes the norm, it reflects badly on the education system.
If a student takes tuition in three subjects — which is very common in Qatar — a parent has to shell out an additional QR1,000 at the minimum a month, which is more than the monthly tuition fee charged by some expatriate schools. Then what purpose are these schools serving? It is a fact that the poor quality of classroom coaching is forcing many students to rely heavily on private tuition.
It is a vicious circle. If a teacher spends six or seven hours in school, he/she would spend an equal amount of time after school hours teaching groups of students in the privacy of their homes. It is natural that they and their students will get equally exhausted at the end of the day, which badly affects their performance in school the next day.
Teachers are more sincere in their efforts in the evening classes for the simple reason that they bring them more money compared to the paltry salaries paid by most private schools. As for students, they pay less attention in school thinking they can compensate through the evening tuition.
Private tuition can make students lazy since the tutors have readymade answers to all the expected examination questions. Education becomes too exam-oriented and tutors who can more accurately predict the questions emerge as heroes in the business.
Schools normally turn a blind eye to this phenomenon because if they take tough action, they would be forced to pay their teachers more. There is even a tacit understanding between teachers and some schools that the former will be allowed to earn some extra bucks through private tuition.
Some schools have banned teachers from giving tuition to their students in a bid to prevent malpractices associated with private tuition. Complaints are galore about some teachers harassing or discriminating against their students for not joining their tuition classes or for opting for another tutor.
Many students and parents are privy to such incidents although they may not speak up. There are teachers who are known for bullying students to join their tuition classes. It is high time private tuition is controlled in Qatar, either by the schools or by education authorities.
