Growing competition is prompting many students to opt for private tuition these days, it has been found.

By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter


A topper of India’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class XII examinations readily admitted during a television show in the South Asian country that private tuition played a huge role in his success. In Qatar, his counterparts in CBSE schools may not be so forthcoming, but their parents and teachers acknowledge the growing significance of tutorials off the record and in private conversations, it has been learnt.
The results of the Class XII CBSE exams were declared on Monday. “If there is any student in the local schools who has succeeded in the exams without attending private tuition, then his/her achievement should be considered a miracle,”  said a language teacher in an expatriate school of the Indian community.
The Indian student had told the TV channel that he “owed much more to his two tuition teachers and parents than anyone else” for his achievement. Referring to his statements, a former teacher at a local school said: “Had some of the expatriate students here listened to what the topper said on the Indian TV channel on Monday, they, too, would have minced no words to admit that their tuition teachers helped them a lot in scoring high marks in the examinations.”
Private tuition can be a huge financial burden on families, especially those with a single earning member, but parents are often left with no option but to spend heavily to ensure that their wards are fully equipped for the challenges ahead.
“My son requires private tuition for at least two subjects. However, I cannot afford to pay for more than one subject at this stage,” said a single-earning Indian parent who works in a private firm.
Unable to pay the hefty tuition charges in Qatar, the expatriate has decided to send his son home this academic year. While many others are believed to be facing this situation, they do not have any grudge against the system of private tuition.
On the other hand, a few parents are not happy with the clamour for tuitions. One of them has even accused a science teacher at a school of deliberately awarding low marks to children in class tests so as to force them to attend her private classes.
Some parents also claimed that a mathematics teacher at an Indian school did not teach properly in the classroom but reportedly did a great job as a private tutor.
It has also come to light that some teachers charge as much as QR15,000 per student for private tuitions for a year. They mostly enter into annual agreements, which force parents to pay the entire amount as students cannot leave midway.
Most parents, though, have come to terms with the fact that private tuitions are here to stay. “Things have reached such a stage that it is next to impossible for children to score good marks without private tuition,” said a parent and former teacher at an expatriate school. She also asserted that it was unfair to blame teachers for holding private classes as “teaching was an underpaid profession in expatriate schools”.
Some parents believe that if teachers are paid adequately, private tuition will not flourish in the country. “As of now, we are helpless as every parent wants his or her child to get good marks. Tuitions help students score extra marks at a time when competition is so stiff,” said a parent who once lodged a complaint against a teacher for allegedly exhorting children to go for private tuition.
There are exceptions, though. A science teacher gave private coaching to students who fared poorly in the class tests at no extra cost. Having done well in her subject in the board exams, the students attribute their high scores to the teacher’s efforts and tuition classes. “Our marks doubled - from the 40s to the 80s and beyond - in the subject,” said one of her students.
While private tuition is officially not allowed at the homes of teachers in Qatar, authorised tutorial centres can be run.