Many parents today pay for private tutors to teach their children after school hours. Do you think this is a positive or negative development？

It is increasingly common for families to employ teachers to help their sons and daughters with schoolwork during evenings and weekends.

Although

this

can certainly be beneficial, I agree with experts in education and child-rearing who express concerns about the practice. It has to be acknowledged that pupils who receive extra tuition are likely to succeed. Their exam results may well improve and their attitude towards schooling could easily get better. These fortunate individuals will probably leave education with decent qualifications and manage to get a rewarding and well-paid job.

However

, we should not ignore the potential downsides.

Firstly

, youngsters who spend time being tutored obviously have less opportunity to relax and play. Experts suggest that

this

may affect their imagination and social skills.

In addition

, they do not enjoy as much quality time with family members as their peers. Research has indicated that

this

has potentially negative consequences for a child’s emotional growth. Just as worrying is the fact that children in

this

situation often feel under pressure. They are aware that a great deal of money has been spent on their learning and feel they must do brilliantly in the classroom.

Finally

,

this

issue should be viewed from a social perspective: only affluent parents can afford expensive tutors who get the best results.

This

exacerbates the inequality which already exists within society. In conclusion, as has been indicated in the previous paragraphs, bringing in a teacher to support your child may seem wise, but has significant drawbacks.

Although

we should do everything within our power to enable children to flourish and prosper, parents need to appreciate that

this

wellintentioned approach may do more harm than good