Private English tutoring can provide essential academic and emotional support to displaced students living in conflict-affected settings, but excessive reliance on tutoring may also weaken their connection to formal schooling, according to research from Nazarbayev University.

The study, published in the Oxford Review of Education, investigated the experiences of seven internally displaced Syrian students aged 14–15 who attended an educational centre in Afrin, Aleppo Governorate.

The research was conducted by Dr Anas Hajar, Associate Professor of Multilingual Education at Nazarbayev University’s Graduate School of Education. It addresses a significant gap in research on “shadow education” fee-based instruction that follows the curriculum and examination system of mainstream schools.

While private tutoring has been widely examined in stable educational settings, little was previously known about how displaced students experience tutoring in areas affected by armed conflict and educational disruption.

The students participating in the study had relocated to Afrin with their families after being displaced from Aleppo, Damascus, Homs, Hama and surrounding rural areas.

Data were collected between April and June 2024 through written personal narratives and individual semi-structured interviews conducted in Arabic via WhatsApp. This approach allowed participants to describe their educational experiences, motivations and future aspirations despite safety concerns and unstable internet access.

All seven students attended face-to-face group tutoring because their families could not afford individual lessons. They received two 90-minute sessions per week. The centre charged approximately US$400 for ten months of tutoring in English, mathematics and physics.

The students’ main objective was to prepare for Syria’s Basic Education Certificate Examination at the end of Grade 9. Performance in this high-stakes examination influences whether students can continue to academically oriented upper secondary education or enter vocational and technical pathways.

Students reported that private tutors provided clearer explanations, structured learning materials, practice examinations and strategies for answering likely examination questions.

Participants considered these methods more effective than the instruction available in their schools, where they frequently encountered large classes, disruptive peers, limited opportunities to ask questions and teachers whom they perceived as tired or disengaged.

Tutoring also delivered benefits extending beyond examination preparation. Students described becoming more confident, motivated and optimistic about their futures. In an environment shaped by displacement and continuing instability, the tutoring centre provided a supportive social space in which students felt that their educational ambitions were taken seriously.

Parents played an important role by encouraging their children and paying for tutoring despite financial difficulties. However, most parents had limited English proficiency and were therefore unable to provide direct academic assistance.

The findings also reveal significant concerns.

Several students attended school only occasionally, while one participant stopped attending after the first two months of the academic year. Some believed that one month at the tutoring centre could be more useful than an entire year of formal schooling.

This indicates that private tutoring was not always supplementing school education. In some cases, it was becoming students’ principal source of instruction.

Participants also reported financial and psychological pressure associated with tutoring. Families experiencing economic insecurity were required to allocate substantial resources to private education because they did not trust formal schools to provide sufficient examination preparation.

Several students additionally described potential conflicts of interest involving schoolteachers who offered paid tutoring. According to participants, some teachers promoted their private courses to students or appeared to treat students attending their tutoring more favourably. These accounts highlight the need for transparent rules separating teachers’ formal responsibilities from private commercial activities.

The study recommends stronger regulatory frameworks for private tutoring centres, including requirements related to registration, tutor qualifications, class sizes, fees, curricula, taxation and the safety of premises.

However, regulation alone may not resolve the problem. In settings where teachers’ salaries are insufficient to meet basic living costs, private tutoring can become an essential source of income. Policies should therefore address teacher remuneration and working conditions alongside the regulation of tutoring services.

The findings also suggest that humanitarian and educational organisations should recognise the emotional as well as academic needs of displaced students. Supportive teaching, individual attention and opportunities to rebuild confidence may be particularly important for young people whose education has been disrupted by conflict.

The study is based on a small qualitative sample and does not represent the experiences of all displaced Syrian students. The research was also conducted before the political changes in Syria in December 2024. Future studies should include larger groups of learners and examine the perspectives of parents, schoolteachers, private tutors and educational policymakers.

Nevertheless, the study demonstrates that private tutoring in conflict-affected contexts can serve both as an educational lifeline and as a warning sign. It can help displaced students preserve their academic ambitions, but its growing importance may also expose deeper weaknesses in the formal education system.