And students who wish to go in for that ‘extra-coaching’ are now forced to dig deeper into their pockets. 

Consider this: Bangalore alone has about 1,000 private tutorials, with 90 per cent of them specialising in Science. If students find Rs 40,000 too steep a fee, they can opt for the less popular tutorials, where the fee ranges between Rs 20,000 and 30,000. Thousands attend tuitions despite high fees.

The private tutors claim they equip students with special skills to excel in examinations. Yet, the number of students excelling in annual examinations is on the decline year after year. This, a professor of a college in Rajajinagar indicates that private tutorials prefer money over students’ performance.

Private tutorials had sounded the death knell for the classroom culture long ago. Students rarely attend classes and do not participate in extra-curricular activities. Lecturers who conducted their private tuitions back home, did not show 100 per cent involvement in their college lectures, the professor observes.

Ban flouted
State government had banned lecturers drawing UGC pay scale from conducting tuitions, but lectures in Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, Botany, Maths and Commerce are seen flouting the ban. Scores of vehicles parked in front of the houses and institutes reveal that the number of students taking private tuitions was higher than those who attended classes, lecturer of another PU College in Malleswaram said.

Tutorials too have their preferences. Students above 90 per cent marks are directly admitted, while those with 80 per cent have to go through entrance tests. The doors are shut for those with below 80 per cent in popular tutorials.

Entrance tests are apparently gimmicks to add to their reputation, and to attract more students. But, as the lecturer contended, only select students are taken because slow learners require additional coaching. “This discrimination itself indicates deliberate efforts to churn money,” he said.

Lack infrastructure
For all their claims, many tutorials lack proper infrastructure. “Teachers do not bother to assess performance the performance of students, spot their weaknesses and try to improve them. Learning has become a one-way process because of the ‘hectic schedule’ of some teachers as they are engaged at several tutorials,” disclosed a teacher on conditions of anonymity.

Private tutors assert that they are providing services for the money received.

It was up to the students to make use of the facilities. They had a point: What is the role of parents and colleges in ensuring better performance from students? The system demands collective efforts and practical action to protect students from being exploited.

They were not ready to take the blame for students’ poor performance. Students should combine positive factors of both tuition and college and move forward, they suggested.

HIGHLIGHTS
As per the rules, the State government bans lectures in government colleges, private aided colleges and universities drawing UGC pay scale and part time lectures, earning more than Rs 10,000 per month from running and engaging classes in private tutorials.

“The rule does not seem to be implemented properly. Some government and private college lectures and university professors operate in fake names. They mention fake names in records to hide their identity,” a lecturer of a PU College in Malleswaram said.

PU Commissioner S G Hegde said the department has instructed DDPIs to keep an eye on the government lecturers violating the norms. It has not received any complaints - either from Bangalore or any other parts of the State so far, he said.