24th January 2011 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Lawyers and education officials in Dubai have said that private tuition is illegal in their country, and any tutor or parent arranging it can be fined, or even deported or put in jail. In a report on ‘The National’ website in the UAE, it’s explained that there were at least 11 court cases in 2010 involving inappropriate conduct by tutors, and officials have decided that only teachers affiliated to schools should be allowed to tutor a student privately.
The Dubai law states that parents cannot sponsor a tutor to work for them, and teachers must not arrange lessons in their own home. The majority of schools in Dubai now offer after school tuition, and a warning has been issued to anyone looking to arrange private lessons via other means. Tutors can be charged with illegal employment, face a heavy fine, and be sent to jail. Also parents can face jail time and be fined 50,000Dh. Even an imam can only teach the Quran if the lessons are in a mosque, and if he is properly registered.
It’s thought that up to 60% of students over 15 actively seek additional help to that they receive during normal school hours. Both the government, parents and tutors are currently looking at new regulations that will allow supplementary help to continue, but are looking to increase the provision of tuition given by schools. A study last year showed that 27% of Emirati families employed a private tutor, spending an average of 1,436Dh per month.