Abu Dhabi: Have you heard of parents cancelling summer holidays or taking out loans of up to Dh75,000 to pay for their children’s private tutoring classes?

Despite private tutoring being expensive, parents seek out such coaching during the summer holiday in the hope that their children can get a headstart when the new academic year starts in September.

Some parents claimed that private tuitions in Abu Dhabi cost between Dh100 and Dh200 per hour.

Parents also said that poor teaching methods at schools and the lack of opportunities for children to catch up on missed lessons forced them to opt for private tuitions.

As reported by Gulf News last year, a survey of 40,000 parents conducted by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) found that nearly half of them paid for private lessons for their children in subjects like math, science, English and Arabic. The authority discouraged parents from opting for private tuitions and warnings were issued to teachers moonlighting as private tutors. Teachers offering private tuitions were warned they could lose their jobs. The Adec advised parents to ask for remedial classes at school.

A 40-year-old homemaker, who did not wish to be named, said she is aware of the Adec ban. “But in many cases, it is the only option left for parents, especially when children are not able to keep up in class. My eldest daughter required extra attention before her board exams and I opted for paid private lessons during the summer,” she said.

She said summer is the perfect time for private tuitions because children are not tied down with their school routine and can spend some time trying to understand the concepts they are not familiar with.

Dina Al Hussaini, a grade 10 pupil in an Abu Dhabi school, said she takes private tutions during the summer because classes taken at school were rather difficult to grasp.

“My parents pay around Dh200 per hour for each tutoring class. It is too much, but I think it is worth the cost. They make me more competitive than my peers at school,” Dina said.

A.S., an Egyptian math teacher at one of the capital’s schools, said: “Some teachers put so much pressure on pupils to attend their private classes by giving them low score or ignoring them at class. The Adec should have more inspection visits, where they can evaluate the quality of teaching inside class.”

A study conducted by the Dubai School of Government (DSG) in 2011 reported that private tutoring costs, on average, Dh100-200 per hour, with rates surging to Dh1,000 per hour in the weeks leading up to end-of-semester examinations.

“It is a worldwide phenomenon that has been growing steadily, accounting for close to 3 per cent of gross domestic product in some countries,” the study announced.

The study aimed at analysing private tutoring trends among Emiratis has pointed out that more than 65 per cent of Emirati pupils in Grade 12 attend private tutoring lessons. While there may be benefits for both students and teachers, private tutoring also has serious negative implications, not only for the individuals involved but also for the education system as a whole.

— With inputs by Samihah Zaman, Staff Reporter