"Tuition" in Bangalore is not the fee for
instruction as it might be interpreted in the U.S. nor is it the regular teaching or
instruction as it might be seen in the U.K. Tuition in Bangalore is a different concept
altogether and looking at its pervasive presence, one might even be tempted to call it to
be an institution or even a phenomenon!
Tuition in this context essentially means "extra" coaching, i.e., academic
instruction given over and above whatever is imparted in the regular class rooms, with the
specific idea of producing good scores in the examination targeted. It actually involves
intensive, examination-oriented instructions in special curricular subjects and is given
during the off-hours of schools and colleges. The tutors are full-time teachers in
recognised schools or colleges and they provide additional teaching support in their
specialized subjects to the students of their own school or college, in addition to those
from other institutions, by charging a substantial sum as fees. The subjects taught are
usually physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics in which the students wish to score as
high marks as possible to get a hassle-free entrance to the professional courses of their
choice, and thus to their dream careers as well.
The idea of tuition is not new to Bangalore, but its influence was never so widespread or
'mandatory' as it is now. In fact, in the earlier days there used to be private
"tutorial colleges" providing extra short-term coaching in preparation for
'turning point' examinations such as S.S.L.C or P.U.C. But now, there is a growing
consciousness among parents as well as students about the market value of courses such as
B.E. and M.B.B.S., and any loss of percentage in the required subjects by even a decimal
point has come to mean 'doors closed' or 'entrance only by hefty capitation fees', for
their choice courses. Parents are, therefore, not taking any 'risk' with the scores of
their children, and are simply rushing for "tuitions" even a year or two before
the actual commencement of the examinations.
With its career-shaping powers, tuition has naturally been creating a growing impact on
the life of the average Bangalorean, and the impact has not always been positive. While
the substantial sums involved in tuition are tilting the financial scales of whole
families, the pressure of intensive learning or "drilling" for long hours of the
day coupled with the fear of falling short of the targeted score has been creating new
tensions in the minds of the young students. One more point on the downside of tuitions is
that exploiting the helpness of the parents who fail to get booking from reputed tutors,
many teaching shops not subject to any quality check have begun to mushroom all over the
city. The government is, therefore, contemplating measures to curb the 'menace' of private
tuitions in general, but unless effective alternative outlets are provided and quality
education is given in regular schools and colleges, tuition seems to be here to stay,
warts and all.
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