For many students at Dhaka’s reputed schools, the school bell signals not the end of the day’s studies, but the start of a second shift of learning. They head from classrooms to coaching centres or private tutors, sometimes seeking lessons from teachers at their own or other reputed institutions.
A field investigation by the Dhaka Tribune found students from leading schools in Motijheel, Mouchak, Shahjahanpur, Mugda, Khilgaon, Bailey Road, Malibagh and Banasree regularly attending coaching centres and private batches after school hours.
Some spend several hours a day in additional classes, while their families pay thousands of taka each month on top of school fees and other education-related expenses.
The trend raises a fundamental question: If these students are already enrolled in schools chosen for their academic reputation, why do they still feel compelled to seek additional education outside the classroom?
Parents and students point to a combination of factors, including gaps in classroom learning, limited individual attention, examination pressure, intense competition and a growing perception that students who do not take coaching will fall behind their peers.
Why the classroom falls short?
Tenth-grader Sadia Rahman (pseudonym), a student at a reputed school in Motijheel, leaves school and heads first to a coaching centre in AGB Colony before attending another class in Mouchak.
Her routine illustrates how a regular school day can extend into a second shift of education.
Parents said they often turn to coaching when they feel their children are unable to fully understand lessons during regular class hours.
Farzana Begum, whose son studies at Motijheel Model School, said irregular classes and the use of class time for matters unrelated to lessons sometimes leave students without adequate learning.
“Sometimes classes are not held regularly, while in some cases valuable class time is spent on irrelevant matters. As a result, students do not get the learning they should from the classroom,” she said.
Mohammad Ashraful, whose two children study at Viqarunnisa Noon School, said pressure to join coaching also comes from the behaviour of other parents.
“When almost everyone is taking coaching, it becomes difficult to keep your child out of it. You worry that your child will fall behind,” he said.
Another guardian, Ali Akbar, said some parents fear their children could be disadvantaged in examinations if they do not study with their own teachers.
“There is always a fear that if a child does not study with the class teacher, they may be disadvantaged or receive lower marks,” he said.
This perception of coaching as almost essential has helped turn additional lessons into a parallel education system alongside regular schooling.
Teachers cite demand for private classes
Teachers who conduct private coaching generally reject allegations that they pressure students to attend their classes. Instead, they say parents and students approach them voluntarily for additional academic support.
A teacher at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, speaking on condition of anonymity, said parents often seek teachers from their children’s own institutions because they believe those teachers better understand the syllabus, teaching methods and examination patterns.
“Parents often approach us and request that we teach their children. They believe studying with their teachers gives students a better understanding of the school’s question patterns,” she said.
Jahangir Hossain, a teacher at Ideal School and College, acknowledged that he conducts coaching but denied forcing students to attend.
“Who doesn’t take coaching nowadays? Most teachers are taking coaching classes,” he said.
Kamrul Islam, another Ideal School teacher who conducts private classes, said large and diverse classrooms make it difficult to give individual attention to every student.
“There are different kinds of students in a class, and some are also undisciplined. A lot of time is spent maintaining discipline, leaving less time for teaching,” he said.
He said students themselves ask him to conduct additional classes.
Not all teachers, however, agree that private tuition is necessary. A teacher at Motijheel Government Boys’ School and College, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he has never privately tutored students.
“Academic studies should be completed in the classroom. They should not be left for private tuition or home tutoring,” he said.
A parallel education system
The dependence on coaching is particularly visible around major school clusters.
In Motijheel, buildings around leading schools are covered with advertisements for admission coaching, subject-based classes and private batches. Coaching centres such as Insight, Udoy Academic Care, Saffollo Cadet Coaching, Udvash, Unmesh, Focus and Reliance Coaching Centre operate in and around the area, while individual teachers also run private batches.
“If you enrol now, the fee is Tk5,000–8,000, depending on the class and subjects. Classes are held four to five days a week, covering three core subjects, along with social science and oral components,” said an official at a coaching centre in the area.
Asif Rahman, a Grade IX student at Motijheel Ideal School, said he pays Tk4,000 for coaching in four subjects, adding that the lessons cover material beyond what is taught in regular classes.
The same pattern can be seen in Mouchak, Farmgate and Banasree, where students from Ideal School and College, National Ideal School and College, Holy Cross College, and Motijheel Government Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools attend private batches.
Rules on paper, coaching in practice
The government’s 2012 policy prohibits teachers from coaching or privately tutoring students of their own institutions and restricts their involvement in commercial coaching centres.
Yet field observations and interviews suggest that private coaching remains widespread and continues to grow, particularly amid the possibility of the return of competitive examinations at the school level.
Viqarunnisa Noon School and College Acting Principal Mazeda Begum said the institution would take action according to the rules if a guardian lodged a complaint and a teacher was found to have violated government instructions.
Moksedul Islam, an assistant headmaster at Ideal School and College, said the institution’s management monitors such matters and discusses them at weekly meetings.
“If a proper allegation comes from a guardian, we will take necessary steps,” he said.
Parents, however, alleged that some teachers exert direct or indirect pressure by providing study sheets or examination suggestions that make students feel they could fall behind if they do not attend private classes.
Parents of students at the English-version branch of Ideal School and College in Banasree also alleged that some teachers make comments about families’ financial circumstances in ways that pressure students into taking private lessons.
The school authorities denied the allegations, saying such complaints would be investigated.
For families, coaching is not simply an academic decision; it is also a financial one.
Parents said they spend at least Tk5,000–6,000 a month on private lessons. Including school fees, tiffin and transport, their monthly education-related expenditure can reach Tk12,000–13,000.
Md Ashraful said his family spends roughly Tk10,000–14,000 a month on coaching and private tuition for his two children, excluding other education-related expenses.
Research by Education Watch under the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) has identified coaching, private tuition and guidebooks as major contributors to rising household education costs. Yet many parents do not consider the expenditure optional.
What is missing from the classroom?
Educationists say the growing dependence on coaching should not be addressed simply by blaming parents, teachers or coaching centres.
Prof Manzoor Ahmed said schools must prioritise effective classroom teaching so that learning gaps can be addressed within the school system rather than through private lessons.
Prof SM Hafizur Rahman of Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research also pointed to excessive parental expectations and shortcomings in implementing the prescribed curriculum as factors contributing to students’ dependence on coaching.
Director General of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education Prof Dr Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel said the government is taking steps to curb coaching, particularly by improving classroom teaching and enforcing the existing policy.
Experts say the growing reliance on coaching raises broader questions about the quality of classroom teaching and whether students are receiving adequate academic support during regular school hours.