An unregulated billion-dollar shadow education system is exposing students to deepening educational inequity, according to a new study.
The research, from the University of Sydney, found Australia’s unregulated private tutoring industry was having a profound impact on the Australian educational landscape.
Study co-lead Dr Ben Zunica said students were vulnerable to a system which employed thousands of unqualified operators.
Dr Zuncia said tutoring was now mainstream for at least one in seven Australian students, but lacked effective regulations to ensure safety, quality, or fairness.
“Tutoring has grown to become a billion-dollar industry in Australia, but it lacks accreditation, enforced codes of conduct, or real protection for students,” he said.
“Parents seeking high-quality tutors are left to navigate a marketplace where anyone can advertise services, delivered online or even in private homes, without demonstrating qualifications or accountability.
“Many spend tens of thousands of dollars, with little assurance of quality.”
Dr Zuncia said the tutoring industry, known overseas as “shadow education”, had become an accepted practice worth $96 billion globally.
He said tutoring had also grown steadily in Australia in response to increased competition among students, with as many as 80,000 private tutors working in 2024, many without formal teaching credentials.
Fellow study lead Dr Bronwyn Reid O’Connor said their research highlighted three key concerns associated with rapidly expanding and unregulated tutoring: equity, quality and safety.
“Tutoring can entrench unfairness by widening the achievement gap between high and low-income families, as socioeconomic status often determines whether parents or guardians can access tutoring for their children,” Dr Reid O’Connor said.
“Yet there is mixed evidence that tutoring provides a clear academic advantage, and tutors are not consistently required to undergo background checks or child safety screening,” she said.
“This poses a significant risk to students in terms of child welfare combined with a lack of reassurance around quality and appropriateness of material being taught.”
Dr Reid O’Connor said the researchers were calling for an evidence-based approach to tutoring regulation in Australia, with key recommendations including:
- A national audit of the tutoring sector to understand current practices and risks.
- Mandatory child safety requirements, including Working With Children Checks and advertised display of credentials.
- The development of accreditation pathways for tutors, such as qualified ex-teachers, who meet professional standards.
- The establishment of state-government agencies to regulate and enforce educational and safety standards.
Read the full study: Whose responsibility it is anyway? Exploring the tutoring policy landscape in Australia using the Peters framework.
