Dubai: A company based in India is one of various similar companies that now offer cash-strapped UAE residents a less expensive alternative to private teaching, through an online tutoring service.
Students from all over the world, including the US, UK, UAE and India, use its services.
LearningHour.com covers CBSE, ICSE, GCSE and IGCSE curriculums.
The company launched its services in 2005.
The founder of learningHour.com, Chandan Agarwal, told Gulf News in a phone interview from India the service started off in the Gulf region and the US.
According to him, online tutoring is a good option in GCC countries, specifically in the UAE, due to rising inflation, security concerns and time spent commuting.
"Online tutoring is not a replacement to school education but is in support of traditional education, as school education can't cater to each individual," he said. This should be viewed as external and supplemental help.
Teachers at schools are often faced with 30 or more students, and they cannot always address every challenge, he said.
With online tutoring, students are engaged in a one to one student/teacher relationship, which is highly beneficial for all, and especially for students who find difficulty in communicating in class discussions.
It costs around Dh300 per month and per subject, with classes tailored to match the student's own preferred timings.
About 7,000 students in the UAE are registered with learningHour.com.
Sangeeta Sikri, an Indian national parent, has her grade-ten son enrolled into two courses, mathematics and physics, of the CBSE curriculum.
"I know he greatly benefits from these sessions but he does miss out on meeting with his friends after a class," she said.
Rohini Alla, a 14-year-old studying in the UAE, said: "Online tutoring makes it easy to fill in the missing details. I do think it would be better if I had extra classes with my own teacher, as she knows the material taught in class. But this online service is good."
By Siham Al Najami, Staff Reporter