Private lessons:

Kicking and screaming through tuition

by Samangie Wettimuny

"We couldn't see our tuition master in our Economics class, Using huge projectors, he delivered his lecture from somewhere. I couldn't get the hang of what he taught", Hashini, a Colombo College student said. Displaying the so-called excellent performances of their previous year's batch is the popular lure used by these tuition sharks to attract students.

A private sector employee, Prasad spends more than Rs.16000 a month on his children's tuition fees. As he doesn't want to send his children to tuition classes away from home, the tutors visit his house.

According to him, the atmosphere in tuition classes is not favourable to children. If asked "what do you normally do after school?", more than ninety five per cent of school children would give one common answer: Attending tuition.

About four or five decades ago there were no tuition classes conducted on a major scale. It was only the slow learning students that sought the help of a tuition master. But it appears, our students now cannot get through examinations without attending tuition classes.

As 19 year old Sachin who passed his A/L's quite effortlessly observes:

"Getting through A/L's in the Science stream is not easy. The syllabus is huge and the exam is competitive. What we learn at school is not at all sufficient to obtain the required marks. We need extra lessons as well. The classes I attended were exam- oriented, where they used to discuss relevant questions from past papers at the end of each unit. If not for the tuition classes, I would not have been able to achieve my target."

But, then, why are small, unwilling children being 'dragged' into these tuition sweat shops? Though such classes are anathema to 9 year old Dhanuka, his mother doesn't want to take a chance, as she 'believes' that the Year 5 Scholarship is the MOST competitive exam. "I want to get him admitted to the best school. His school teachers are not very efficient. So how can he pass the exam without attending tuition", she asks. That's how the rat race begins.

The competition between parents too, boosts the tuition industry. Parents generally try to get a leg up over their relations or neighbours, by sending their children to more tuition classes. "If the neighbour's child attends two classes for a particular subject, they want to send their child to three classes for the same subject. The more the competition, the more the number of classes they attend." But, that is how the rat race continues.....

Since there are a large number of students in a class, school teachers find it difficult to pay individual attention to each and every child. Also, the students have to engage in extra-curricular activities. "When we were schooling, most of the extra-curricular activities were done after school. But now, school hours are being used for such practices, and so the teachers fail to cover the syllabus. They know the students will somehow pass the exam, as they attend tuition classes," a father said.

But as Mrs. Weerasingha, a Geography teacher observes, one cannot underestimate extra-curricular activities. " School education is not merely exam- oriented, it provides integral education. In fact, we can fix up these 'extra' activities after school. But then, hardly anybody would stay, as they have to attend tuition classes. I'm ready to conduct after school classes to cover the syllabus. There too, the same problem arises."

For students, tuition classes are the most popular source of instruction. Classes are not for charity. Tuition masters charge the earth. . Time was when the education system was centered around 'pirivenas' and the Buddhist monks imparted knowledge free of charge. It is a pity that they too have got into this business now", said a retired teacher, wistfully.

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Mainly, there are three types of tuition classes, group classes, whole classes and individual classes." In certain classes, they charge on a daily basis. At the end of each lesson, the students have to pay the required amount. If the student is unable to pay that amount he will miss the lecture."

"Tuition charges for London O/L's and A/L's are high, compared with those of local exams", says Anushka who sits for her London A/L's this year. I take individual tuition for Pure Maths and my tuition master levies Rs.2500 for a two hour lesson"

Certain tuition teachers charge unreasonably from students, forgetting that they have benefited from free education. But 'good' teachers always charge reasonably. As Hashini, an Arts student who is pending her A/L results observes, her A/L English tuition master is the best kind of teacher she has ever found. " He charges only Rs.40 for a lesson but it's worth a million".

The whole classes, which have even more than 600 students are of little use. In certain classes, 'low grade humour' plays a major role in attracting students. " Some tuition teachers waste a lot of time on risque and colourless jokes at the beginning, and at the end they fix extra classes to cover the syllabus.

"Extra classes mean extra income for them. But for our parents, it is the other way round.", complained Lathika. Moreover, when everything is being taught at the last minute , only a very little could be absorbed." They could have covered the syllabus much earlier, if they hadn't wasted time".

Education was a lifelong process for our great grandfathers - even for us. They (..and we..) used to enjoy their leisure time, but the present generation is deprived of such happiness. Since the majority is of the view that success in education means everything, the students are caught up in this rat race. There is no one challenging this system.