Tuition Centres and the Monopolisation of Education: A Global Shadow System
Across Asia and beyond, the education landscape is being quietly reshaped. What once served as supplementary academic support has evolved into a massive parallel system. Experts warn that tuition centres are increasingly monopolising education, turning schooling into a two-tiered market. This phenomenon, often called “shadow education,” now touches millions of students. In India, private tuition consumes nearly half of household education spending by senior secondary levels . In Singapore, annual tuition expenditure has reached $1.8 billion, with participation rates continuing to climb . The global tutoring market is projected to hit US$288 billion by 2030 .
Why Parents Feel They Have No Choice
The drivers behind this trend are complex. Many parents feel trapped in an academic arms race. “When everyone is sending their children for coaching, we don’t have a choice,” one Indian parent explained. “The competition is so cut-throat now that school alone isn’t enough”. Systemic failures in formal education compound the problem. In Pakistan, teachers at public institutions remain distracted by non-academic duties, creating a “non-serious ambience” that pushes students toward academies . Data shows that 67% of rural students taking tuition in India are actually enrolled in government schools, suggesting formal classrooms are failing to meet basic needs .
The Hollowing Out of Regular Schools
The most troubling development is the “dummy admission” phenomenon. In coaching hubs like Chandigarh, many senior secondary students attend coaching centres full-time while holding only nominal enrollment in schools . Schools are reduced to paperwork providers, and formal education loses meaning for those caught in the competitive race. This trend widens existing inequalities. Students from wealthier families can afford intensive coaching, while others—particularly in government schools—remain entirely dependent on under-resourced regular classrooms . The coaching industry, once a supplement, now determines life trajectories.
Regulatory Responses and Their Limits
Governments are scrambling to respond. China imposed a sweeping ban on for-profit academic tutoring in 2021, though the policy has faced implementation
challenges . India’s coaching hub of Chandigarh is introducing regulations based on Haryana’s model, which prohibits tutoring for children under 16 and mandates safety standards. However, critics argue regulation addresses symptoms, not causes. “Unless the metrics of academic success are diversified, seats in higher education expanded, and school curricula strengthened, coaching will remain not just an option, but a perceived necessity,” notes an Indian editorial .
