Tutors are ‘clogging’ libraries – now one Sydney council wants to charge them

3 hours ago 2

Private tutors coaching students in public libraries could be hit with new fees by a cash-strapped Sydney council in a move to rake in extra revenue and stop public facilities being “overrun” by commercial operators.

North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker has thrown her support behind a resident-led push for new mandatory bookings and fees to apply for tutors in public libraries in a move supporters say would ensure other library users can peruse books in peace.

Tutor Nathan Kerr with primary school teacher Gabby Kitchingman in Stanton Library, North Sydney.

The proposal comes amid a boom in the billion-dollar tutoring sector as more Australian students turn to private coaching to gain additional educational support.

Marianne De Souza, chair of a North Sydney Council-run community precinct group which is advocating for the new fee system, said tutors are increasingly “clogging” libraries – particularly after school hours and during the lead-up to HSC exams.

“It’s become a free-for-all,” she said. “When you walk into libraries, all the tables and chairs are being taken up by tutoring groups and students, and it means other people wanting to use libraries can’t find a seat or sit down to read books.

“Libraries are supposed to be public facilities, and they shouldn’t be constantly crowded out with tutors who are charging students a lot of money.”

North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker supports bookings and fees for tutors using public libraries.

Baker said the overuse of public libraries by tutors could be due to the high density of schools on the lower north shore. Ten public and private schools operate within a 500-metre radius of the council’s main library in North Sydney.

“The increasing density in North Sydney and large number of educational institutions has made libraries a very attractive space for tutoring, but we have one main library which is being loved to death,” she said.

“When there’s a big commercial use of public spaces, a fee system is something we need to consider.”

The council is considering applying a range of other new fees for council-run facilities, including charging private schools for use of parks during school sporting activities.

The additional revenue should provide much-needed income for the council as it grapples with ongoing budgetary challenges fuelled by cost blowouts on the North Sydney Olympic Pool redevelopment.

Baker said the council’s financial position meant it had to “look at every area possible to improve its financial sustainability”.

The proposal has sparked mixed reactions from private tutors and academics including Nathan Kerr, director of North Shore Tutoring, who uses the Stanton Library for coaching sessions.

“I’m a local resident in North Sydney and libraries should be freely available for everyone – especially for students who want additional academic support,” he said.

“I often see 20 or 30 tutors at the library, but I’ve never seen any issue with noise or any other disturbances. We’re respectful of the space.

North Sydney has a high density of schools, which may be contributing to the pressure on public libraries in the area.

“Most tutors are university students who can’t afford to rent their own office spaces, so libraries are a really attractive option for tutoring because they’re a neutral space and offer a learning environment.”

Kenny Vu, owner Meta Tutoring Services in Crows Nest, said most tutors would probably pass on additional costs to parents, adding further costs to already high tutoring fees.

“The average tutoring price is $50-60 an hour, and if tutors have to pay a fee for libraries, that could make it unaffordable for some people,” he said.

University of NSW school of education professor Jae Yup Jared Jung questioned whether a fee system could serve as a potential barrier for students seeking educational assistance.

“The primary reasons families go for tutoring is because they feel like they are not in a position to help a student and libraries offer environments which can aid students,” he said.

“As a society, we don’t have an issue with athletes training with coaches in public facilities, yet tutoring is somehow viewed as a negative which should come with extra regulations and fees.”

Mohan Dhall, chief executive of the Australian Tutoring Association, has urged the council to push ahead with introducing a fee system which he said would be a step towards reining in the largely unregulated private tutoring sector.

“Tutors should be charged in the same way if they were renting a room in an office, and the council is well within its right to do that,” he said. “Tutors are making use of a public facility for a private self-interested benefit, and when they’re displacing people and not expecting to pay for it, I’ve got a real problem with that.”

North Sydney Council’s library policy encourages tutors to use open study and reading areas on the proviso they “do not disturb’” other library users or staff.

NSW Public Libraries Association president Romola Hollywood said she was not aware of other NSW councils to consider mandatory fees for tutors using libraries.

Baker said consideration of tutoring fees would be subject to community consultation during financial planning for the council’s next annual budget.

The move comes amid recent calls for greater oversight and regulation of the tutoring sector as experts warn the boom in coaching risks undermining classroom teaching.

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