Tutors glocalise international curriculums

Updated on: Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The proliferation of schools subscribing to international education boards has had an unforeseen and paradoxical effect. Across the city, but mainly in the western suburbs, scores of tutors have come up claiming to instruct students in International Baccalaureate (IB) and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) curricula and charge as much as Rs 1.5 lakh a year for one subject.

In Lokhandwala complex in Andheri, for instance, one tutor says, “Almost every building has a private tutor who claims to teach the international curriculum.” The internet, too, is flooded with ads for such coaching services.

Incensed principals lament that the system is being distorted. International curricula, they argue, have been tailored in such a way that students can study and understand them on their own without the assistance of coaches. “It is very sad that parents rely on tutors for a progressive curriculum,” says principal Abha Pal of Utpal Sanghvi High School. “These so-called coaching institutes tend to teach an unconventional curriculum with conventional methods. None of our top scorers in the past years have opted for tuitions.”

Those in the know say that most tutors for international curricula have graduated from instructing ICSE school students. They charge anywhere from Rs 40,000 to Rs 1 lakh per year for one subject since the sector is still unregulated, and because they know that IB and IGCSE students normally come from affluent families.

For their part, tutors say that students need additional coaching because international curricula’s books are not explanatory enough. Sheela Kalantri, one such tutor from Andheri, reasons, “IGCSE has more of pictorial content than textbooks unlike Indian boards that are text heavy. There is no explanation given in textbooks. Students have to do a lot of research on their own. But many kids misuse the internet and limit their activities to chatting on networking sites, which is why parents tend to hire tutors.” What also influences parents’ decision, Kalantri says, is that international board students have a hard time during examinations. “Many fail in their first attempt.”

Kalantri says she has years of experience in teaching and has attended several teacher training workshops conducted by the Cambridge board. But while she works independently, there are several others who operate through agencies. Rupesh Kumar, who runs one such agency, says, “We hire teachers who have got online certification from the international boards’ websites. There is a great demand for home tutors among students from international schools. We get students from metros like Bangalore who wish to get a crash course for a month or two before the exams.”

Prashant Gangar, the proprietor of another agency that operates in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane, claims the tuition fees are higher for IB diploma programmes. The fee can, in fact, run into lakhs at times. “We sometimes charge around Rs 1.5 lakh per subject for a year. Students approach us for two or three subjects. Parents ask us to give individual attention to their kids. That is the reason the fees are high,” he says.

Tutors glocalise international curriculums

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