Tuition centres becoming a necessity

ISLAMABAD: There is one place most students of private schools in Islamabad inevitably find themselves at: an expensive evening tuition centre.

Gone are the days when these centres were thought to be only for challenged students. Nowadays, whether a child is poor in studies or bright, athletic or geeky, a tuition centre is imagined to be crucial for his academic development. Natasha Ali, a 45-yearold working mother, pays Rs180,000 per month as tuition fee for her two daughters. “Because of tough competition and pressure to get into good foreign colleges, my kids need extra personal attention which they do not get in schools,” she said. For private tuition at home, a tutor charges Rs1000 to Rs1200 per hour. At tuition centres, monthly fee for each O Levels subject is Rs3000 and Rs4000 for A-levels.

Not all students feel that these centres are beneficial. Natalia Khan, an 18-year-old A Levels student said, “Going back and forth to tuition centres is a waste of time. It’s also a burden on my parents.” Elaborating on the rising trend of after-school tuition, Sadaqat Ali, owner of ASAS International School, said,”Some parents have a lot of money and literally dump their children at tuition centres.” Ali’s tuition centre is so popular that he was eventually able to turn it into a profitable daytime private school.

Saba Javed, 27, a private primary school teacher said she was approached by parents all the time for teaching and coaching their children after school hours. “Most parents go to the extent of making tutors attend their child’s parent-teaching meeting under the cover of being a relative,” she said. “It is also obvious that most of their homework has been done by tutors.”