Why We Should Ditch Tuitions for Young Kids and Embrace School Instead

In today’s hyper-competitive world, it’s become almost a rite of passage: the moment a child hits primary school, parents start scouting for tuitions. Extra classes, coaching centers, private tutors—it’s as if the school day isn’t enough. But here’s a radical thought: what if we stopped piling on the tuitions and instead encouraged our kids to fully participate in school? I’m proud to say I’ve taken this path with my own children—skipping external coaching entirely, letting them fail, and watching them learn from it. Here’s why I believe tuitions for young kids need to go, and why school should be their real playground for growth.

The Tuition Trap is More Harm Than Good

Tuitions promise a leg up—better grades, sharper skills, a ticket to success. But for young kids, they often deliver the opposite. First, they rob children of time. After a full day at school, kids are shuttled to coaching classes, leaving no room for play, rest, or just being kids. A 2022 study by the Indian Journal of Pediatrics found that kids in urban India spend an average of 2-3 extra hours daily on tuitions, cutting into sleep and family time. Overloaded schedules breed stress, not brilliance.

Second, tuitions can kill curiosity. They’re often laser-focused on exams—drilling formulas, cramming facts, chasing marks. My kids? I let them wrestle with tough math problems or stumble through science concepts at school. Sometimes they failed, and that’s okay. Failure taught them resilience and sparked questions no tutor could spoon-feed. Schools, at their best, offer a broader canvas—group projects, discussions, even sports—where kids learn to think, not just parrot.

Schools Are Enough (If We Let Them Be)

Here’s the thing: schools aren’t perfect, but they’re designed to educate holistically. Teachers, despite their flaws, are trained to guide kids through a curriculum that balances knowledge and skills. When my son botched a history test because he didn’t memorize dates, I didn’t rush him to a tutor. Instead, we talked about why history matters—stories, not just numbers. His school teacher picked up the thread, and he ended up loving the subject. Schools can do this if we trust them.

Participation is key. When kids engage—asking questions in class, joining clubs, or even arguing with peers—they learn more than any tuition can offer. A 2020 UNESCO report (This year) highlighted that active school involvement boosts critical thinking far better than passive coaching. Tuitions often turn kids into robots; schools, with the right encouragement, turn them into explorers.

The Gift of Failure

I’ll admit it, watching my kids fail wasn’t easy. A bad grade stings, and the parent-teacher meeting that follows isn’t a picnic. But avoiding tuitions meant they had to figure things out themselves. My son once spent a week puzzling over fractions with her school friends instead of a tutor. She failed the first quiz, but by the next, she’d cracked it—and owned that victory. Failure isn’t the enemy; it’s a teacher. Tuitions often shield kids from that lesson, propping them up with shortcuts instead of letting them grow through struggle.

How to Make School the Star

Ditching tuitions doesn’t mean abandoning our kids—it means redirecting our energy. Here’s how:

• Talk to Teachers: Build a partnership. If my kid’s lagging, I ask the teacher for advice, not a tutor’s number.

• Encourage Questions: Push kids to speak up in class. My son once asked “Why do we need taxes?” in civics—and it sparked a whole debate.

• Value Play: Let them join school sports or drama. Life skills hide in those messy, fun moments.

• Celebrate Effort: When my son bombed a spelling bee but practiced hard, we cheered the grit, not the loss.

A Personal Win

I’m no expert, but I’m proud of this choice. My kids aren’t top scorers every time, and that’s fine. They’ve failed, cried, and bounced back—all through school, not some coaching mill. They’re learning to question, to wrestle with ideas, and to stand on their own. Tuitions might polish a report card, but school—raw, imperfect, and real—builds a mind.

So, I believe we should stop the tuition treadmill. Let’s give our kids back their childhood and trust schools to do their job. Failure isn’t the end; it’s the beginning. And honestly? Watching my kids learn that has been worth every skipped coaching class.