Selecting a tutor -- How important is the Qualification?

Selecting a tutor for your child is a composite of several factors as we have discussed this before in these columns. One of the fundamental questions that any parent would like to think is - Am I getting value for money? At the end of the day, if the performance of the child shows a marked improvement then you know that you have selected the right tutor. But in case, if the performance does not show improvement over several months, then you know that it is a situation that is difficult to accept and calls for remedial measures. Besides wastage of your financial resources, you also have the additional task of scouting for a new teacher. Rather than reinventing the wheel, it would be better if you, as a parent, did a proper homework to avoid being placed in a precarious situation later on. Chetana  Nanjundeswara says that qualification assumes significance depending on the school board, teaching pattern and the level of proficiency required. Chetana takes private tuitions at her home in S G Palaya in Bangalore but it is mostly for lower classes from state board schools. “I know that i can’t take tuitions for ICSE schools as their teaching methodology is more application oriented." Mridula Gupta disagrees. A parent based in  Khar Road, Mumbai, Mridula says that the qualification is important only if the coaching is for middle school and high school -- especially for languages , maths and science. “Teaching a class III or Class IV student about addition, multiplication, subtraction, profit and loss or English lessons is not something that is impossible for a person who is a graduate” -- she adds. Thus, qualifications play a crucial role in teaching for middle school and high school levels. Mrs Madhu Gowrishankar, a parent in Mylapore says, “But then competence is also important. Does a higher qualification translate into competence? Not at all. A person may be highly qualified but he/she may not have teaching abilities. Then how do you evaluate”. So, to put it succinctly, competence gets higher weight age while teaching students in lower classes in private tuitions. However, in higher classes, qualification and competence both are important and absolutely essential. For instance -- teaching students about trigonometry or geometry or drawings or teaching biology or physics or chemistry for classes VII and above is no joke. Even if we undervalue qualification, unless the tuition teacher doesn’t take efforts to prepare in advance of the coaching sessions, we know that a standard teaching pattern will not work. Pranav Lala, based in Ahmedabad says that he loves teaching and is qualified too. “But when I can’t devote time for my children, how can I do justice to others?” Working for a conglomerate in Ahmedabad, Pranav’s schedule is a rigorous one. “One of my friends requested me to help his son in mathematics in Class VIII. I agreed. Unfortunately, after a few sessions, I had to go to Delhi on an official trip and soon enough the link was lost. I profusely apologised. But my friend understood my predicament. Who knows after my retirement I may even start a coaching class in my home town Baroda” says Pranav. When I ask Mandar Kelkar, one of my school mates, now based in the Middle East, he chides me and reminds me of our own school days. We had a gentleman (name withheld) near our homes in Mumbai. He was a M.A. in Hindi literature. He had a job in the Railways but his love for teaching was such that he called a select group of students who were in class X to mentor them to score good marks in Hindi. Now, this will warm the cockles of your heart. The gentleman never charged us any fees, took special classes for a group of us (we were six of them) and insisted on us having homemade adrak chai (ginger tea). The way he taught Hindi was fabulous. I should just say that we were plain lucky. His way of explaining poetry was astounding. No wonder, I scored 76 marks in Hindi in the class X exams and was declared the student in the school who had scored the highest marks. Where can you find teachers like him in the material world of today? Sadly, the benign individual lost his limbs in a freak rail accident and eventually passed away much before his prime. In this case, not only was he qualified and competent but he also loved teaching. I feel whether it is teaching in schools or colleges or in private tuitions, unless the individual has love for teaching, you cannot be assured of 100% success. So, I would rather conclude by saying that appropriate qualifications are a must for teaching subjects in middle school and high school level. Having said that let me add that competence is also equally important. Parents, do you agree that the love for teaching itself is a trigger for competency development? 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