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Tuition centres - a thriving business
ISLAMABAD, Aug 28: Going for tuition
after school or college is fast becoming a common trend among
students.
The situation has led to the mushrooming of private tuition
centres throughout Islamabad. These centres are doing a good business because of
poor teaching standards in government institutions.
But there are people
who send their children to these centres because they are busy with professional
responsibilities or are not qualified enough to help their children in doing
homework.
Some students take private tuition throughout the year and
some take tuition when exams are near. No doubt, there are some good tuition
centres too in the city, which are known for quality education and
facilities.
But the general impression is that a large majority of these
centres are opened to make fast bucks and are opened not to help students
prepare for their exams.
We visited some tuition and coaching
centres in various sectors and met with students and teachers. Some allowed
us to report their names, while some spoke on condition of anonymity.
Teachers of government schools or colleges run most of the centres. Some
university students and even government employees do this part-time job to meet
their expenses.
Some centres are run by people who are not employed
elsewhere while some centres are owned by a single man.
A few of these
centres also offer home tuition but charges are exorbitant. Therefore, parents
prefer sending their children to tuition centres instead of hiring a home tutor.
Normally, tuition centres charge Rs 400 to 1,000 monthly from each
student for one subject and offer some concession in case of the entire course,
which takes months to complete.
Most centres promise parents that their
children would pass exams with good marks.
When asked
Muhammad Mushtaq, who teaches at a tuition centre in G-10 Markaz, whether taking
tuition was a trend or need, he said tuition was a need which helped students
stay in tune with their studies.
He said the standard of government
schools was so low that parents sent their children to tuition centres, where
proper courses are prepared and which are repeated before the exams. As a
result, students secure good grades, he added.
He said students were
taught in an easy and informal manner and individual attention was given to each
student. He said students were also given help material by the tuition
centres.
Mumtaz Begum, a housewife, said she needed tutor for her
children because teaching methods in their school were not up to the mark. "I
and my husband both are too occupied with our jobs to teach our children,
therefore, we have arranged a tutor for them. I know many families who are not
much educated send their children to private tuition centres," she
said.
A teacher of the F-7/2 FG College for Women, Islamabad, said more
and more students were taking tuition because their parents' income had
increased over the years. She said those running coaching centres were not
teachers but businessmen and that such people had nothing to do to with
education.
They have opened these centres because it's a profitable
trade, she said, adding that these centres had brought a bad name to the
teaching profession.
She said if the government ensured quality education
in public schools, there would be no need for after school tuition, as in the
past students did exceptionally well without going to any tuition centre. Daily times
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| Do Tuition centres provide quality education?. Post your Comments/ Views. |
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