Adverse effects of private supplementary tutoring: dimensions, implications and government responses

Private supplementary tutoring has long been a major phenomenon in some parts of East Asia, particularly Japan, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan. In recent decades it has grown significantly in both industrialized and less developed societies. This monograph focuses on the adverse effects of private tutoring, which include distortion of the mainstream curricula, pressure on young pupils, exacerbation of social inequalities, and the manipulation of clients by tutors - particularly in situations where mainstream teachers provide paid supplementary tutoring for their own pupils after school hours. It analyzes government responses, with reference to the cases of Mauritius, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and the Republic of Korea, and comments on the implications of each of these strategies.