Private tutoring is becoming a common part of secondary education in the UAE, but intensifying academic pressure is taking a toll on young people’s mental wellbeing, experts say.
Many pupils today are spending long hours outside school in paid-for lessons as parents are eager to make sure their children are well-prepared for examinations.
Regional data, compiled by education researcher Prof Mark Bray and presented at an education conference in Dubai, showed 36 per cent of Grade 8 pupils in the UAE receive private tutoring, sharply to 63 per cent among Grade 12 pupils in Dubai, as pupils prepare for high-stakes exams that shape university access and careers.
Prof Bray, Unesco chair in comparative education at the University of Hong Kong and an expert on what he terms “shadow education”, said the growth of private tutoring reflects social competition rather than weaknesses in schools.
Extra stress and exhaustion
“Private tutoring is not inherently good or bad,” he said. “It has both positive and negative aspects. But its growth – even in good schools – signals rising pressure on children as expectations around education increase.”
While tutoring can provide academic support, Prof Bray said that excessive reliance can contribute to stress and exhaustion, particularly when pupils move directly from school to evening lessons.
“The mental health impact depends on the quantity,” he said. “If a child’s life becomes school, tutor, homework – with no time to rest, play or socialise – that’s when it becomes damaging.”
Internationally, concerns about pupil fatigue have driven policy interventions. In China, for example, authorities launched the “double reduction” policy in 2021 to cut both homework and tutoring loads amid rising anxiety among pupils.
The UAE presents a complex picture. With most pupils enrolled in private schools, demand for tutoring cuts across income groups and curriculums, Prof Bray said, making the situation harder to regulate and measure.
What is the regional picture?
Data drawn from international assessments, such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, show the UAE sits broadly in line with Gulf neighbours.
Tutoring rates among Grade 8 pupils stand at 49 per cent in Bahrain, 55 per cent in Kuwait, 40 per cent in Oman, and 50 per cent in Saudi Arabia, while Qatar records 56 per cent among Grade 12 pupils.
“The driver is social competition,” Prof Bray said. “As access to education expands, families feel pressure to ensure their children don’t fall behind – especially when university places are limited and highly competitive.”
Natasha Ridge, executive director of the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for policy research, said the expansion of private tutoring also raises questions about inequality, particularly for lower-income families stretched by school fees.
“For many expatriate families, education costs can reach up to half of household income,” she said. “Private tutoring adds another layer, and opting out is often seen as risking a child’s future.”
That perception is shared by many parents.
Abu Dhabi resident Hind Khalifa, who has three children, pays Dh1,200 a week for private tutors in maths and chemistry for her 17-year-old son, who will sit his A-levels next year.
“It’s expensive,” she said. “But it’s a necessity. When it comes to my son’s future, it feels like a small price.”
She said tutors initially asked for Dh500 an hour, before she negotiated the rate down to Dh350. She added that a big consideration was the fluctuation in classroom teaching quality.
“Some teachers really care and want pupils to learn. Others just want to get through their hours,” she said. “And even good teachers can’t give individual attention to 24 pupils with different abilities.”
Private tutoring, she said, has come at a personal cost. “He’ll miss outings and family gatherings,” she said. “But in the long run, we tell ourselves it’s for his future.”
Regulation brings tutoring out of the shadows
In the UAE, the sector was something of a grey area until authorities began to formally regulate it. In December 2023, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation introduced private tuition work permits, requiring tutors to register and follow a code of professional conduct.
Prof Bray welcomed the move as a step towards transparency. “Bringing tutoring out of the shadows is positive,” he said. “It allows regulators to see who is tutoring, under what conditions, and with what safeguards – particularly for children.”
However, he questioned how “qualified educators” are defined, noting that permits are available not only to teachers, but also to university students and even school pupils aged 15 to 18.
Both Prof Bray and Ms Ridge agree private tutoring is unlikely to disappear, even if school standards improve. “It grows in strong schools as well as weaker ones,” Prof Bray said. “The underlying driver is competition - and that isn’t going away.”
Ms Ridge said change may ultimately depend on parents. “This is a market,” she said. “If families demand schools that fully deliver the curriculum without the need for tutoring, schools will respond. That’s where the real leverage lies.”
