21 May 2013

Private Tuition in Bhutan- Where Teachers Can't Teach

This is one very interesting story about a licensed private tuition company writing complaint letter to Dzongkhag about some of my colleagues stealing their business. I say it's interesting because a businessman thinks that it's his business to tuition our children and not ours. It's even more interesting because there is a policy which states that teachers cannot take private tuition classes after school hours, and that's the legal point the businessman is catching at. Technically he is on the right side. 
Before I express my surprises let me clarify that none of my teacher colleagues take any tuition classes this year as far as I know and I have no time, space and intention to do it myself, therefore it's with clean conscience that I choose to be surprised.
The biggest surprise is that our own ministry thought teachers should not do private tutoring for money, and the justification was that some teachers would do half hearted job in the classroom so to gather good number of heads for side business. This mistrust is heartbreaking. Should there be any teacher who would resort to such cheap means, can anything stop them?
Another Surprise, licenses have been issued to businessmen to operate tuition classes, now justify the logic, if any, behind trusting some people, who may or may not be trained, to teach our students better than they were taught in the classroom.
If any student has problem with any subject no teacher will ever say no to
them during free hours and holidays, so where do we need tuition at all? And if some parents have enough money to blow off and wants to send their children to tuition anyway, who would be a better person- child's own teachers or some licensed businessmen?
Coming back to our ministry's decision, which may be guided by many wisdom I didn't know of, but I must say I was impressed by health ministry move at providing off hour clinic opportunity for doctors to earn some extra cash. I also envy the way engineers spent their off hours making drawing for private individuals to earn handsome cash. But we teachers are lavishly showered with rules after rules, instead of some smart ways to improve our livelihood. Name one teacher who has a car without loan, or name one teacher who has children in private school without two loans?
I would most respectfully accept the rule that says teachers are not allowed to drive taxi after school, or teachers are not allowed to do business in school involving students but excuse me on the rule that says teachers can't teach. What else can teachers do then?

5 comments:

  1. Very analytic post you have brought out. I appreciated the way you defended what you mean to say. If our teachers could not educate our children, I am certainly sure that Businessman will never succeed to educate them. I am surprised too, with what logic our Ministry of education considered to give license to Businessman to teach our children.

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  2. I totally subscribe to your opinion and I second you. An Emphatic post.

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  3. Too bad...none of my teacher would've compromised the lessons in the classroom for anything. If, at all, they were allowed to give tutions(which I think should be encouraged instead of not allowing) they would've been most interested in giving the best to the students rather than in tuition fee.

    The policy is one heck of a means to stagnating the quality of education and demoralizing our teachers. Thanks for the info, sir

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  4. It's so unfortunate that this kind of thing is allowed to happen in Bhutan... I'm just glad we don't have problems like this with home tuition in Singapore. That's not to say it's completely free of problems or anything, but still. Having people try to steal your business would certainly be a pain in the butt!

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  5. Tuition frees parents from trying to perform the difficult role of tutor. Children often don't want their parent to be involved directly in their learning and will work far more effectively for someone else. With busy lives, tuition can help parents to effectively support their children academically. Tuition frees parents from trying to perform the difficult role of tutor. Children often don't want their parent to be involved directly in their learning and will work far more effectively for someone else. With busy lives, tuition can help parents to effectively support their children academically.

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