THERE is still demand for tuition teachers despite the government scrapping the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) and Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga (PT3) exams, teachers said.

Teachers who spoke to The Malaysian Insight said post Covid-19, demand has also gone up as students try to revise subjects they studied online during the pandemic.

Shameena Nathesan, a tutor of 15 years said parents are worried about their children’s progress without exams.

“I don’t think we tutors will be gotten rid off that easily. We are needed now, more than ever,” she said.

“The government system is not helping anyone. We are churning out kids who are hopeless.”

“Parents are worried now that there is no assessment. The teachers in school are more laid back than before. The parents do not know if their children are progressing.”

“The complaints I hear the most from parents is that teachers don’t attend classes because they are too busy attending courses.”

Shameena currently has 10 students between the ages of five and 16.

Since there are no assessments in school, she periodically tests her students to ensure that they understand their lessons and to accustom them to the process.

“It was something I have always done. Usually I will test them before school exams.”

“Some students say that their schools don’t have any kind of exams because there is no UPSR or PT3.”

“So they go to class for nothing and when they go to Form 1 they don’t know what they learnt in the past six years in primary school.”

“Then at Form 5 they have to sit for an exam, they will have no clue what to do or how to prepare for it,” she said.

Revision classes in demand

Afifah Daud, who used to own a tuition centre in Ampang, said while there are no longer UPSR or PT3 exams, parents are sending their children for tuition so that they can relearn what they were taught online during the pandemic.

“Parents who are concerned about education will still send their children for tuition,” Afifah said.

“They are concerned because their children haven’t gone to school for two years and online learning cannot compare to in-person learning, so they want revision classes.

“Let’s say they are in Form 3 now, but they have no proper foundation in Form 1 and 2. They have no basic knowledge to go through From 3. So I will revise the Form 1 and 2 syllabus with them.”

Afifah has a lot fewer students now compared to pre-pandemic times, but it is just enough for her and her family to get by.

“I used to have a tuition centre and I had 150 students. But I had to close down during the pandemic as I could no longer afford to pay the loan.”

“Now I have around 20 students from Standard 4 to Form 5. I teach them English, Maths, Science and Bahasa Malaysia.”

Afifah said she lost around RM150,000 when her tuition centre closed down.

Keeping fees low

Another tuition teacher Nurul Azila said that while there is a demand for tuition teachers, parents are finding it hard to afford the fees due to the current economic situation.

“I haven’t been able to raise my fees because the parents might not be able to afford it. Everything is expensive now.”

“So instead of charging more, I have reduced my hours by maintaining the same fees,” she said.

For parents who are doing better financially, she said she has increased her fees by RM5 to RM10.

Azila said she used to make around RM7,000 a month before the pandemic and this was slashed by 75% during the lockdown.

“My income hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, but it is close. However, given the current cost of living, the same amount I made in the past is just enough to get by now, I can’t save or afford any luxuries,” she said. – August 20, 2022.