Tuitions — The parallel school

Till very recently, pupils would approach a teacher or take up an extra class if he/she was weak in a subject. Mostly it was for Mathematics and only when the pupil was in Class 9 or Class 10 because practice was needed to score high marks at the Board examinations.

Today the scenario is different. Children go for all sorts of tuitions — from the time they are barely two years old — to get him ready for school or to face the so called school interview. After sitting in a classroom for around 5 to 6 hours, the child goes home and is packed off to a parallel school — the tuition class. There is an English speaking class, creative writing class, Hindi tuitions, Art classes, to ensure that the child gets an A in all the tests in school. This is the scene right from Kindergarten till Class 10. Often these have more number of students than the actual school class itself. How can a child who is tired after a day at school sit through another 2 or 3 hours Will he not be tired Where is the time to play or just being himself

Let us even accept for a while that perhaps the child is weak and needs extra attention. But how will the child get it in a class of six children or more, each from different schools Sometimes, they even advertise as having students from the same school and not more than 10 in a batch. So, basically the same children from the same school meet again after school for the tuition class. If one is lucky, you may get a sensitive teacher who will ensure that actual work gets done and the weak or shy child who is not able to speak in a class of 30 or 40 expresses himself and gets his voice heard. But by and large these classes only benefit the tuition class teacher. I say this with authority because if this was not the case, all the students in all the schools should get over 90 per cent in school examinations.

Students do not pay attention in school because they are going to a tuition class and they do not pay attention in those classes because they are tired.

Today we have resources like never-before such as smartboards, maths labs, field trips, teaching aids, and just about everything that can make the teaching-learning process interesting. But most pupils study to get marks, not to learn. At tuitions, no teacher wants to teach a child who really needs it. And in a group tuition, the weak child gets even more demoralised than ever. He doesn’t just have to do the school homework but also the tuition homework. Where is the time to revise what is taught in class and internalise it Most parents today are fairly well-educated. Can they not spend a little time with their child just ensuring that the day’s work is revised and help them to prepare for the next day

The situation is worse for students in Class 10. The parents ensure that every subject has a tuition teacher and their personal life almost come to a standstill. No visitors, no cable TV, etc. Mothers may even go to the extent of taking a year’s leave. Of course we have the professional tutorial classes that have vacation batches, test series, revision batches and so on. Parents spend a small fortune on these coaching classes. But when the school fees are hiked, we have a morchas and protests. What makes these so-called classes superior than a regular school For about a year all other activity comes to a halt.

I am often told how difficult it is to get admission in a junior college. Yes, it is a rat race and every mark counts, but at what cost

Not all children need to be doctors or engineers. In fact most engineers go on to do an MBA and then sell toothpaste or some FMCG product. The world needs artists, musicians, pilots, armed forces personnel, teachers and other professionals.

Unless you and I together decide that we will work together and help the child, nothing will change. Fortunately, some parents have over the years listened to the voice of experience and not sent their children for tuitions. If at all, only for a single subject. I have documented proof that these children have done extremely well and have turned out to be ‘successful’ .