Creating Order In The Chaotic Education Universe

In the Cuffe Parade neighborhood in the southern tip of Mumbai, it is a common sight to see middle-aged men and women wandering from one lofty apartment building to another carrying extensive files and bulging backpacks mounted atop their backs. No, these are not government tax collectors out to harass the tax-allergic citizens although harassing is certainly part of their job description, if you ask their customers. They have a scholarly air about themselves as they struggle into taxis and busses, keen to fulfil their commitments to what they consider a noble cause. These wise heroes and heroines are the tuition teachers � a growing breed of educationists who take advantage of the rat-race in the education system today in order to eke out a decent living. Being such a profitable enterprise, there has been a recent explosion in the number of teachers providing their valuable services to the sea of students in India leading thereby, to a situation where the supply exceeds the demand. Thus, the problem faced by most flustered students (and parents) these days is: which teacher shall I choose?
Now, it is obviously financially impossible for individuals go the coaching class way and advertise on BEST busses, surely. They are forced to rely on word-of-mouth publicity among frantic mothers and eager students. The sad reality of word-of-mouth publicity is that some teachers become unbelievably popular among students while others, who may be equally qualified and proficient in their job, are left out for no fault of their own. These popular teachers dictate the price in the market and the others are forced to teach the leftovers, if you like, the students who failed to impress the popular teacher or cannot afford to pay his skyrocketing fees. A simple way to overcome this difficulty would be to create an online forum where students can discuss which teachers are actually good and thus, creating an even playing field for all and sundry. Most students spend hours of their free time on the Internet, usually on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter or else checking cricket scores and YouTube cat videos. If offered an alternative, it is likely that students would grasp the opportunity to discuss their tuition classes on the Internet not only to rate teachers but also help their peers and juniors to find those same teachers in the future. The scope in this field is undoubtedly limitless.
A Delhi based tutor we interviewed certainly likes the idea: �I think this could be great for both students and teachers! Firstly, we will get an honest feedback from our students as to which teacher they prefer therefore we won’t have to deal with the floating rumors which we now see left, right and center. A website where students can not only find teachers but also rate them, that seems like quite a nice idea to me, to be honest with you.� When asked whether he would shift his business completely online to meet with the changing times, though, he was skeptical. �I think Online Tutorials as a concept, is viable, but not for India in the current scenario. I have heard about this working well in more developed nations like the United States of America and Great Britain, but that is only because students out there have easier access to the Internet and the older generation out there is more comfortable with change. We are Indians. We will never change,� he laughs. �Let’s give it a few more years before we can possibly consider making a move in that interesting direction.� So clearly, the need of the hour is a website where students can converge to find and rate teachers!