The regulation of private tuition

The news that the Education Ministry will be taking steps to regulate private tuition is very welcome indeed. Private lessons have been the bane of the educational system for a long time now and something has to be done to regulate them because of their negative impact on education in this country.

Let me start with the need or otherwise of private tuition.

It is pertinent to point out that the quality of education in Malta is very high and this applies to all educational sectors, that is, the state, the Church and independent schools. Yes, it is true we sometimes criticise the education authorities but that is because all stakeholders genuinely wish the best for our children and want to consolidate and improve upon past achievements in the educational system.

This means that if children are adequately supported by their parents or guardians in their educational endeavours they will have no need for private tuition. Furthermore, today, provision is made for extra help within the schools themselves for children who fall behind and need to be helped to catch up with their peers. In other words, I see absolutely no need for private lessons for our schoolchildren.

Unfortunately, private tuition has today become a traditional aspect of education in Malta. Some parents will persist in sending their children to private lessons simply because their neighbours’ children attend such lessons. This is regrettable and the Education Ministry should do its utmost to educate parents about the services it provides and which, in themselves, preclude the need for private tuition.

I wish to turn now to the problem of the quality of private tuition. While it is true that many teachers who give private lessons are dedicated and conscientious, one often hears stories about private tuition that does not reach the required standards. I have heard stories about private lessons being given to groups so large in number some students were forced to sit on the steps of the teacher’s private residence to “follow” the lesson.

Another worrying aspect is the lack of regulation of the persons who impart private tuition. We tend to imagine that all private tuition is imparted by qualified teachers. Unfortunately, this is not the case. There are cases of persons with absolutely no formal qualifications in teaching who give private lessons to students on a regular basis. This is unacceptable and should be ended with immediate effect.

I also find it totally unethical that some teachers give private lessons to students from the school where they teach. It is very unfair on a teacher when parents compare the lessons s/he gives at school with those given by a colleague from the same school during private lessons. Even more serious is the case of teachers who give private lessons to students from their own class/es. This overlapping can have serious negative consequences on what goes on in the classroom within the school itself. Can you imagine how frustrating it is to have your lessons continuously compared to those of a colleague at the same school who gives private lessons to your students? Can you imagine how enervating it is to have students interrupt the lesson to comment that at private lessons the teacher used a different method or gave them some information that was different from yours?

Private tuition can also lead to an escalation of disciplinary problems within schools. It is common to have some students not paying attention to the lesson or even being disruptive because they are bored due to the fact that they have already covered the topic of the lesson during private lessons. I can still remember my frustration when, having spent a considerable amount of time at home preparing a handout with work for my students, I was informed by several of them that they considered my handout as superfluous as they had worked out the same exercises the day before during private lessons!

A negative aspect of private tuition that is often overlooked in debates about this topic is the stress it creates on the students themselves. I have encountered the problem of students who did not have time for both the homework I gave them and that given by the private tuition teacher. “Sir, please do not give us any homework today because I have to work out my other homework for private lessons tomorrow,” a child pleaded with me. As a teacher, my heart goes out to these children. Some young children are sometimes faced with an afternoon when they have to attend catechism classes, private lessons and work out their homework. How can they cope?

I augur that the Education Ministry will regulate private tuition in a way that will benefit all stakeholders in our educational system, first and foremost our beloved students.