SHADOW education refers to informal learning. It is meant to supplement formal learning. It is a global trend and has been expanding as more candidates take competitive international, regional, and local exams as well as entrance tests to gain access to elite educational institutes and good jobs.

Covid-19 added a new dimension to shadow education in the form of virtual lessons and tutoring, leading to a third model of learning that makes shadow education more needs-based, self-paced, and personalised with the integration of technologies. Shadow education also offers an alternative career path and an additional earning avenue for educated youth and is a potential source of earning for educational institutes.

While such informal learning has been accepted, there is little debate about its potency and shortcomings. Traditionally, shadow education is used interchangeably with ‘tuitions’, which are managed beyond school hours, with additional costs and in private settings. Shadow education comprises diverse learning events such as summer camps, extra evening classes, preparation for competitive exams and institutional entry tests. The focus is on addressing learners’ deficiencies in particular subjects, all of which come at an additional cost.

The financial cost makes it accessible to the wealthy, with many others not able to afford it. Shadow education gives the offspring of the rich more opportunities for further education and jobs. Wealth-based access to shadow education exposes the divide between ‘privileged’ and ‘underprivileged’ learners.

Effective education takes place in a more diverse social ecology.

The larger social cost is that the educational landscape becomes vulnerable to greater learning inequalities, with education becoming more of a commodity. The resort to shadow education also reflects how schools may not be catering to parents’ wishes regarding the education of their children. Moreover, teachers in shadow education settings are more responsive to learners’ needs than they may be in schools, and the students thrive as compared to those who study only in school. Thus, there is a level of parental trust associated with shadow education, even though the latter only deepens the gap between itself and formal education.

There is another aspect to dwell on: children pay a price for having to experience both formal and shadow education settings. Being part of a controlled environment — whether in formal or informal settings — can negatively affect their intellectual and social potential. In Pakistan, in both spaces, they are often likely to find themselves a part of a reduced canvas of learning filled with homogeneous content, and pedagogy that compromises true learning and prepares them only for tests and exams.

Effective learning occurs in a broader and more diverse social ecology and is driven by genuine curiosity on the part of learners, and a committed approach to teaching by their instructors. In shadow education settings, after a hectic day at school, students may experience symptoms of burnout and come to look upon learning as a burden rather than an exercise in curiosity and exploration. They may appear bookish but are not able to apply the knowledge that they have gained to real-life issues.

We should ask ourselves whether our children really need additional time to learn if they already spend a good part of their day at school — despite the advantages of shadow education. And whether this adds to their learning or is just an extra burden. How does it af­­fect their soc­i­­al life and int­e­ractions with fa­­mily, friends, and society?

Perhaps it is time to monitor the cost of shadow education — and not just in monetary terms — to prevent the excessive commodification of education and the exploitation of families.

The government may harness shadow education as an effort to address the issue of out-of-school children by offering free or low-cost tutoring programmes for this cohort, which comes from low-income families. This would help promote equitable access to educational opportunities. Eligible and qualified youth in far-flung areas may be recruited for this very purpose.

A permanent solution, however, lies in addressing the deficiencies of the formal education sector, which is the only way to restore society’s trust in public schooling. Measures such as improving curricula, pedagogies, and assessment and evaluation processes are very necessary, but

the main task lies in amending our approach as a society to the purpose of education and focusing on generating informed, responsible, and trustworthy human capital rather than products of examinations.

The writer is an educationist.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2024