Pvt schools responsible for rise in tuition centres: Academics, teachers

CHENNAI: As the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2022 pointed out that the proportion of school students going to private tuitions increased after COVID-19, educationalists claimed that private schools are the reason for the surge in tuitions.

Chennai-based educationalist PB Prince Gajendra Babu said, “As long as only government schools functioned in the respective State, only those kids with learning challenges were sent to tuitions. But, with private schools coming in, the need for private tuitions grew multifold, because they shifted the teaching responsibility on tuitions.”

He alleged that private schools collected hefty fees but blamed the child for not learning quickly. “When a student in private school does not do homework or projects, parents (both educated and uneducated), are held responsible. To avoid such scenarios, many parents sent children to tuition centres,” added Prince.

Prince opined that students were pushed to a monotonous way of learning. “There’s little to no self-introspection. But, the situation is opposite in government schools, where the child has freedom to pick and learn based on their interest, rarely needing a private tutor’s invention.”

Meanwhile, a government school teacher in Cuddalore said that the number of students going to private tuitions in rural Tamil Nadu is relatively less. “The reason could be parents forcing their children to get high marks.”