Making a killing in holiday tuition

By PETER KAMURISchools are on holiday. But their gates are not closed, yet.
They are up, and running, silently. Every day, we see school-going children trotting to schools, thanks to the now ubiquitous holiday tuition.
Every time schools break for holidays, newspaper advertisements, posters and banners come up in every corner of the street and in media with offers for tuition.
Paying for your child’s holiday tuition can be expensive, especially when you fail to get value for your money.
Whereas a number of people organising private holiday classes may be professional and experienced teachers, there are quacks who are only out there to make a quick kill.
To ensure that you get value for your money, you need to make informed choices when choosing the right place to take your child for private holiday tuition.
This can be achieved by gathering information, researching and evaluating your options before you make the decision.
Many people often fail to get value for their money by failing to make informed choices. Last April holiday, Magdalene Nyambura booked her two daughters for private holiday tuition organised in a church at an estate in Kawangware.
However, the mistake she made was that she never took time to investigate where the tuition would be held and how it would be run.
She only responded to an advert and sent her children to "school."
"The charges were fair compared to those offering the same services for a period of two weeks. In addition, the organisers promised to provide lunch for the students," says Nyambura.
However, two days after the start of the tuition, her daughters started complaining that they were not getting value for their money. Teachers appeared incompetent with little teaching experience.
During school holidays, there are unscrupulous business people and "teachers" who want to take advantage of desperate parents and students by pretending to offer unparalleled tuition services.
With increased competition in education and the chase for quality grades, many parents are ready to pay "any" amount of money to get these services.
Other parents are also concerned as they want to keep their children occupied during the school holiday.
Academically endowedSylvester Odiyo, a teacher, says that if organised well, tuition can be very helpful especially to weak student. It assists them to catch up with the rest who are academically endowed classmates.
"However, for you to get value for your money, you must shop around well to get the best deal. It pays to visit the institution offering the service and appraise their physical resources. Do they meet your expectations?"says Odiyo.
According to him, every parent wants to give their children the best opportunities that are available.
"If you hope to get the best tuition services around you, start shopping early. Find out about the people offering the services and what they offer," he says.
Odiyo further adds that parents should ensure that they try as much as possible to meet the teacher who will be handling hisor her child.
"Have a conversation with him and let him or her know your expectations. Similarly, you should consider the location of the school and distance."