JEDDAH: A recent directive from the Pakistan International School in Jeddah has disappointed some students and parents. The management has prohibited its teachers from giving extra tuition to students after school hours. The school has about 6,000 students and more than 200 teachers.
Some disappointed parents approached Arab News and said the new regulation was unacceptable, as the children learned more during their extra coaching than they learned at school. Junaid Mohammad, a Pakistani supervisor, said: “The rule is highly disappointing, as the exam season is around the corner.” He wondered how his children would prepare for the term exams that begin in March.
Inquiries show that the system of schoolteachers teaching students after school hours has remained a common feature in many international schools for several years.
School sources said the management had prohibited its teachers from providing extra coaching because it interfered with their day-to-day school duties.
“Some teachers are so busy with extra coaching that they are not able to give their best in school,” a school employee said.
One teacher said: “We don’t compromise on the quality of our teaching in school. Our salary scales are low and the school denies us annual increments on a regular basis, so extra coaching helps us earn some money.”
Another teacher said, “We provide coaching because there is a demand. Almost every higher level school student takes extra coaching.”
