Private Tutoring Expands to University-Level Education: A Growing Trend in Higher Learning

Private tutoring has jumped from high schools to universities across the UAE, with educational service offices and online platforms now offering college-level tutoring at rates between 250-500 dirhams per hour. The Ministry of Higher Education says its monitoring system has already blocked 20 non-compliant advertisements before they could spread.

Social media accounts and WhatsApp groups are advertising tutoring services for university students across all majors. Some people are impersonating professors and researchers to attract students. The services cover everything from social sciences and law to advanced engineering mathematics and medical subjects like microbiology and clinical immunology.

These platforms justify their university tutoring services by claiming they're filling gaps in the educational environment and preparing students for the job market. Prices vary based on subject difficulty - medical and scientific subjects cost more than theoretical courses. The more experienced or prestigious the tutor claims to be, the higher the price.

For graduate students, these services go even further. They offer to help find scientific references, suggest thesis topics, assist with writing master's and doctoral dissertations, prepare research papers for publication, and even convert academic theses into books. They also provide statistical analysis services and help with survey design.

Academics have identified five main reasons why university students turn to private tutoring. Some students struggle to understand course material, while others lack research and writing skills. Time constraints and heavy academic loads push students to seek extra support. Many students got used to private tutors in earlier school years and can't break the habit even in university. Poor quality academic teaching also plays a role - when content isn't engaging or teaching methods are outdated, students look for more interactive alternatives.

Dr. Fatima Al-Marashdeh, an educational leadership expert, says this phenomenon reflects a gap between university teaching methods and student expectations. Some academic programs rely on dry theoretical approaches or don't provide enough support for complex scientific subjects. This forces students to seek private tutoring to compensate or improve their grades.

Students often enter university without independent study skills or effective time management abilities, she notes. The solution isn't just fighting private tutoring, but developing university education systems to be more interactive and supportive while strengthening students' research and critical thinking skills.

Dr. Murad Al-Rajab from Abu Dhabi University points out that while private tutoring isn't new, universities now see more students using external offices to prepare research projects and assignments for money. Anonymous social media accounts and WhatsApp groups promote university services, some specializing in specific subjects or universities.

He attributes this trend to heavy student workloads and traditional systems that burden students with five projects across five subjects per semester. At the same time, students' passion for learning has declined. They've become dependent on ChatGPT and artificial intelligence, which will likely increase dependency and create future educational problems.

Dr. Iman Abu Khosa from the European University of Applied Sciences in Dubai agrees, saying increased reliance on private tutoring reflects a gap between students and their educational institutions. Students often go through educational experiences designed without considering their individual abilities, giving them little space to express themselves in class.

This doesn't necessarily mean education quality has declined, but reveals a shift in learning culture itself. Many students now focus on meeting academic requirements rather than exploring the meaning behind what they're learning.

Universities should build different models that put student experience at the center of education and involve students in discussions about what and how they learn, she suggests. This means converting classrooms into discussion and practical application spaces, connecting courses to real-world issues, and implementing project-based learning.

Dr. Meghri Nazarian from Amity University Dubai emphasizes that private tutoring is no longer limited to school education but has extended to university level. This reflects changes in educational culture among students who now view external academic support as a way to strengthen their chances of success rather than developing their own research, understanding, and analysis skills.

Universities in the UAE prohibit professors from providing paid educational services to their registered students to avoid conflicts of interest. Students are warned about the risks of relying on external parties to prepare their projects or research to maintain academic work authenticity and credibility.

The Ministry of Higher Education has started implementing an outcomes-based evaluation framework with six main pillars including 24 key performance indicators. These pillars focus on employment outcomes, learning outcomes, partnerships with stakeholders, scientific research outputs, global reputation and presence, and community engagement. The goal is measuring universities' ability to secure quality jobs for graduates, ensure students acquire necessary skills, and create positive impacts on society.