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Teachers in schools here are charging students a fee of up to four times the hourly market rate for private home tuition.
However, according to a report that appeared in Wanbao, some errant teachers are tutoring students from the same school that they teach, or even from their own classes.
This was alleged by a parent who complained to the Ministry of Education, unhappy about such a practice, reported the Chinese daily.
It begs the question if teachers have become too mercenary, said the parent, in offering their services as private tutors - for the right fee - to students that they teach.
According to guidelines for teachers set by the Ministry of Education (MOE), teachers are allowed to take on tutoring assignments outside of work, but they are not allowed to tutor students who are from the same school.
MOE's response
MOE's stand on the issue is that teachers are strictly not allowed to tutor students from the same school in private.
According to an MOE spokesperson, teachers should commit wholeheartedly to teaching at school. Any part-time jobs taken outside of school should not hinder the teachers's performance and should not present any conflict of interest
In addition, other guidelines set by MOE regarding such jobs outside of school are that they must first seek approval from the principal, and they must keep their time spent on giving tuition to not more than 6 hours per week.
Teachers are also not allowed make use of school property such as classrooms to conduct their private lessons.
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This is in order to prevent any conflicts of interest that may arise. It would be difficult for the teacher to remain impartial, such as during the marking of papers.
Sending the wrong message
Days ago, Zaobao columnist Huang Yi Cheng (40, part-time lecturer) wrote a column in the Chinese paper. In his article, he revealed that a colleague had hired his son's teacher to be his home-tutor, leading to a heated debate amongst his colleagues present.
He later called MOE to seek clarification on whether such a practice goes against rules for teachers set by the ministry.
Mr Huang told the Wanbao, that the teacher his colleague hired charged a fee of $80 per hour. This is four times higher than the $20 per hour fee charged by most other tutors.
As a parent himself, Mr Huang said he understands that all parents want the best for their children. However, he maintained he would never do the same thing his colleague did.
He said: "I don't want to send the wrong message to my children that as long as they have the money, they can hire their teacher to be their tutor at home. It makes learning seem like a business transaction."
"What sort of message does it send your child, if he doesn't do well in class and you hire your teacher to tutor him after school? It gets you the results, but it also sends them the message that money can buy you anything.
"The younger generation may become a materialistic and self-serving bunch as a result," said Mr Huang.
Mr Huang believes there are other teachers out there who do not observe the rules set by MOE.
"Are these teachers fit to mould the minds of our future generation?" he asked.
40% of teachers give part-time tuition
According to insiders in the education industry, the market rate for tuition charges are $18 to $50 per hour, depending on the level of of study (such as primary or secondary), as well as the academic qualifications of the tutor.
It is estimated that 40% of teachers in schools are also part-time tuition teachers, charging rates of up three times higher than usual.
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