The need for tuition classes

KATHMANDU, April 1: Academic competition puts a lot of pressure on students, especially on those who cannot excel in subjects that are deemed compulsory in schools. “Tuition classes have become a fad in the current context since everybody, including students who fare well in exams, seem to be opting for tuition classes,” says Krishna Kushwaha who teaches Math for A-Level students at Rato Bangala School and also occasionally gives home tuitions.



The current scenario looks something like this - not much priority is given to how student performs during the first two terms of school year and if it seems like the student cannot score average marks to get promoted to the next class, the teacher hints the only other alternative there is hiring a tuition teacher and making sure the entire course is covered before exams.[break]



Tuition classes focus primarily on what kind of questions will be asked in exams and how much marks will be allocated to each of them. It wouldn’t be fair to say that classes like these don’t delve into concepts in detail, but the foremost priority becomes solving this-many-questions and scoring at least 40%.





“Starting tuition classes just two or three months before the final exam means limited time in hand and vast course to cover. The teacher will have to rush through everything to prepare the student for the exam. This could be the reason for exorbitant tuition fees,” says Ratan Bhatta, a secondary level Math teacher at Meridian International School, Baluwatar.



Are tuition classes worth the money? Is it even necessary at all or can students rely on themselves to work hard and commit themselves more academically?



“Students barely make it through daily classes without anticipating for the class to be over. Then there are friends who suggest different ideas to pass time. Between all this, there is no way a student can give his 100% in class,” says Surya Nepal, 27, who has been giving home tuitions and classes for Math and Science at private tuition institutes for over a decade.



Surya also cites the teacher-student ratio as a hindrance to effective classroom environment, “In Nepal, there is this mentality that a classroom of around 40 students means the school is big when really the maximum number of students per teacher should not be more than 20. It becomes difficult for the teacher to handle all the students and few of them get away with just killing time instead of paying attention.”



Similarly, Bhatta addresses another issue - long classroom hours for a subject which after a while becomes absolutely boring. “Students, even if they want to, cannot keep listening to the teacher for 45 minutes or one hour. If we could break down the time frame and cover the course in a medium that is interactive and entertaining, students would learn a thing or two without feeling like they are ‘studying’ something they will have to write in exam.”



The reason, according to both Nepal and Bhatta, for maximum number of students finding subjects like Math and Science absolutely boring is because of the way it is taught in schools, in a way that kills quick thinking and usage of analytical brain in students. As a result, students dread the idea of studying these subjects and end up failing in them.



Nepal also says, “There’s a reason why Optional Math is called optional. Some schools make it compulsory for students to take up the subject thinking students can learn it by rote and score high marks and they can boast about the percentage of distinction holders from their school. This rote-learning practice and business point-of-view is the reason why students have to join tuition classes.”







Aditi Pandey, 18 has been taking home tuition time and again for subjects like Economics and Math for Plus 2 and Bachelors. For her, it is difficult to pay attention in a classroom because there is always so much going on around and the atmosphere isn’t focus-friendly. “But you’re all by yourself at home tuition and you have to concentrate then,” she adds.



“For me tuition is to cover up on whatever I’ve missed in class,” says ninth-grade Merina Pandey who studied home tuition for three months before her final exams, “Math and Science are considered to be very important and unlike other subjects you cannot just read and understand things in these subjects, one needs to have understood the basics. Plus it is likely for students to score highest in these two subjects, provided that they know everything that’s included in the course.”



The trend of home tuitions have become a supplementary income source for many teachers and also, students like Surya Nepal who have been studying and giving tuition classes at the same time. “My only problem has been time management, otherwise I think this is an ideal way to sustain for students- learning and sharing what you’ve learnt at the same time.”



Krishna Kushuwaha, however, prefers teaching in classroom to giving tuition classes. “I am prepared for classes which is why I think classroom environment is more effective. In tuitions, I only solve questions that students ask me to and deal with concepts they are not clear with,” he says, adding, “I don’t encourage students to take home tuitions. I’d have my students work hard by themselves instead. This is why I don’t regularly give tuition classes myself.”

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