Selayt Tutoring provider Dymocks Tutoring and Talent 100 will close its 5 campuses this weekend. Before shutting down, the company advised parents to save the money they would spend on human tutors and instead subscribe to Gemini or ChatGPT. Mark Buckland, CEO of Dymocks Education, which runs both brands, admitted that AI is not as good as human tutoring, but said it costs only 30 AUD per month. (Background: A Silicon Valley billionaire spends $75,000 a year on AI teaching kids, and Alpha School is rapidly expanding in the United States.) (Additional context: OECD’s largest-ever scale student assessment: students use AI to write assignments every day, with scores down by 28 points.) Key takeaways: Sydney tutoring provider Talent 100 will close 5 campuses this weekend; the CEO urges parents to switch to AI, saying it costs only 30 AUD per month. Tuition per subject can be up to 900 AUD, around NT$20,000. Dymocks Tutoring and Talent 100, a Sydney tutoring provider, will end operations this weekend, with all five Sydney campuses shutting down. Before closing, the operator advised parents to save money on hiring human tutors and instead subscribe to Gemini or ChatGPT. Mark Buckland, CEO of Dymocks Education, told AFR: “Most customers spend their hard-earned money on cheaper options, which is better than simply paying for overpriced tutoring.” He also acknowledged: “Of course, AI can’t match our human tutors with our full support system, but it’s only 30 AUD a month.” 30 AUD is about NT$670. (Daily Mail) noted that the operator’s tutoring fees can reach up to 900 AUD per subject, about NT$20,000. At the prices Buckland quoted, one subject’s tutoring fee is enough to cover 30 months of AI subscriptions. The paper also reported that he believes the tutoring business “doesn’t really do anything unique”; it mainly provides students with peace of mind, and AI can do that too. Unexpected from a peer; parents react both ways: Mohan Dhall, CEO of the Australian Tutoring Association, told AFR that he was surprised by Dymocks’ decision to exit. “I originally thought that if they stayed in the market a bit longer, there would be more room for this industry to do something.” In comments compiled by the Daily Mail, some parents understand the company’s decision, while others criticized it as a misunderstanding of AI. One commenter wrote: “Interaction between people can more effectively motivate students; the moment my students sit down in front of a Chromebook, they seem like they fall asleep.” Tutoring is common in Australia. Last September, a scholar wrote in The Conversation that it’s estimated that 1 out of every 6 students in Australia has received tutoring, rising to 1 out of every 4 in Sydney. The number of private tutors nationwide is estimated to be between 45,000 and 80,000, and governments at all levels do not regulate this industry. Australia’s students hit a 20-year low: The company’s closure comes as Australian society worries about students’ academic performance. The Daily Mail pointed out that the latest PISA results show Australian teenagers’ reading and math scores are the lowest in 20 years. New South Wales and Victoria have already banned phones in schools and limited screen time; Victoria is also moving to ban students from using smartwatches and earphones at school. PISA 2025, released by the OECD on September 8, also investigated how students use AI. As Dongqu previously reported, students who use AI to write assignments every day score 28 points lower in science than those who use it hardly at all, while students who use it once a week perform the best. Frequently asked questions: Why is Dymocks Tutoring and Talent 100 closing? The operator told customers that students are using AI to prepare for exams more and more often, so paying for human tutors is no longer cost-effective. CEO Mark Buckland admitted that AI can’t match human tutoring, but it costs only 30 AUD per month, while tutoring fees per subject can be as high as 900 AUD. How many students in Australia get tutoring? A scholar, in a 2025 article in The Conversation, estimated that in Australia, 1 out of every 6 students has received tutoring, rising to 1 out of every 4 in Sydney. The number of tutors nationwide is around 45,000 to 80,000, and governments at all levels do not regulate it. Related reports: Los Angeles bans AI for 370,000 students; the district board was unaware in advance; Google’s free AI Plus for Taiwanese college students for one year—school email can enable it; application details—see the fast look. a16z launches an AI academy: featuring Huang Renxun, Altman… as instructors, and even internships at half a Silicon Valley giant. “Teachers aren’t useful anyway! Before the Australian tutoring classes closed, they urged parents not to spend money on tutors—an AI subscription is really the way to go.” This article was first published on Dongqu BlockTempo (Dongqu—most influential blockchain news media).