MALAYSIANS are aware of the tuition phenomena, where parents take pains to send their children
for additional classes or tuition so that they can score a string of As in the examinations.
It is the same in India, these days. Apart from making sure their children get into good schools, parents go the extra mile to send their children to after school coaching centres, the Malaysian version of tuition centres.
And for those who can afford, personal tutors are also hired.
With a growing number of parents focusing on providing a good education for their children, coaching centres have become the rage and have sprouted all over India.
India’s education system is exam-oriented and the nation’s coaching centres are thriving
because some of the nation’s best teachers are being offered attractive salaries and incentives that are just too good to be turned down.
Different strategies are also used to lure parents into sending their children to the centres.
In fact the centres also compete in enticing the best teachers from both the public and private school sector with not just attractive salaries, but with additional perks and incentives.
The Times of India, had in a recent report stated that teachers at government schools were being paid between Rs14,000 and Rs28,000 (RM950 to RM1,900) based on their years of service.
The established private schools offer a minimum salary of Rs50,000 (RM3,200).
However, coaching centres offer as high as Rs80,000 to Rs150,000 rupees (RM5,000 to RM10,000) to
teachers specialising in core subjects and those with their vast experience and expertise stand to receive extra perks as well.
According to the daily, the much sought after teachers were those teaching subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics.
This has resulted in public schools in major cities in Chennai, Bangalore and New Delhi, many of
which are premier institutions, having difficulties in finding replacements for teachers who
opted to join the coaching centres.
“We pay teachers over 50,000 rupees (RM 3,300).
“This new trend of teachers leaving schools to join coaching centres or to run their own tuition centres has become a major headache for schools,” said K.P.Gopalakrisnan, chairman of a public school in Bangalore.
Teachers in public and private schools lament that they are tired of the long hours that they have to endure daily.
Schools in India have single sessions from 9am to 5pm.
Some teachers from a New Delhi school say that they are not only bogged down by long hours of
teaching, but also given additional tasks by the school administration.
Students in premier public schools in New Delhi are often required to take part in events
organised by the state and federal government.
For such events, teachers are not only required to prepare their students for the events, but also need to take into consideration their security and safety concerns.
On top of that, teachers are involved in the school's administrative work and are often under
pressure to complete their academic and non-academic tasks on time.
A teacher at another secondary school who wanted to be identified as Shanti said the “pressure” on both pupils and teachers was more intense during the examination period.
With family commitments and the need to monitor their own children's education, some teachers
prefer flexible hours in teaching, something only provided by the flourishing coaching centres.
These centres also provide a better teaching environment with the luxury of the latest teaching aids as long as the students produce results in major examinations.
Middle-income parents said they were ready to pay extra for their children's education as long the centres justify the cost with good examination results. – Bernama
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