Coronavirus: Tuition centres say forced closures will lead to financial ruin

Private tuition centres have criticised the government’s decision to suspend their operation as unfair, mistaken, irrational and unfairly discriminatory against the private sector.

“We cannot understand how closing private tuition centres, with eight to 10 pupils per class, can restrict the spread of coronavirus when at the same time the same children go to public schools where they are 20 to 25 in the classroom, and to public and private kindergartens, various afternoon clubs etc.,” they said in a written statement.

They urged the government to reverse an unfair decision which would push a large number of tuition centres to financial ruin and lead to unemployment of a number of teachers and support staff (secretaries, drivers, cleaners) without any benefit for public health or the economy.

In its latest decree to contain the spread of coronavirus, the government ordered private tuition centres to suspend their operation effective from today but clarified that remote teaching as well as one on one was permitted.

 

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