The government guidelines on regulating the coaching industry will impact thousands of tuition centers that have sprung up across the country. What’s wrong with the system and why were these guidelines needed in the first place? peppermint Explains:
What is the coaching controversy about?
Last week, the government published guidelines for coaching centers to eliminate enrollment of students below 16 years of age—enrollment should only happen after the secondary school (Class 10) examination. This rule is a matter of concern as India’s coaching industry has become an alternative education channel. Students are enrolled as early as the age of 10-12 and are prepared for engineering, medical and civil services examinations. The success ratio in these examinations is very low. Every year thousands of people attempt to pass these examinations. The coaching centers are most popular in Bihar, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
Why does the industry need regulation?
The increase in the number of students dying by suicide (26 according to news reports in Kota alone in 2023) points to the pressure faced by school children. The Department of Higher Education under the Education Ministry had last week said these rules were in the context of “increasing student suicide cases, fire incidents, lack of facilities as well as teaching methods (which) are attracting the attention of the government.” Are.” from time to time”. Mushrooming ‘dummy schools’ – they have tie-ups with coaching centers and do not require students to attend physical classes – have added to the troubles. Parents from small towns often send their families to these coaching centers. Take loan to move to the centres.
Who else will be affected by the regulation?
In coaching centers like Kota, there is an ecosystem that supports the institutes, students and their families – middlemen, hostels, hotels, etc. They all lose. When students are very young (10–14 years old), their families also relocate to these centres, thereby increasing real estate income for the local population. Furthermore, dummy schools will be forced to close shop.
What is coaching center called?
The Coaching Federation of India (CFI), an industry body under which there are over 25,000 coaching institutes, can legally appeal for reducing the minimum age from 16 years to 12 years. Big institutes say that this rule may increase competitive tension among students as now they will have less time to prepare. Large institutions are also concerned that this will not help in the regulation of small private coaching centers—mom and pop ones—that may remain under the government’s radar.
What does this say about the state of education?
The dependence on coaching institutes is obvious. The institutes providing coaching to a student for competitive exams are only a part of the system. Students are often required to study extra hours outside of school to cope with the curriculum. The guidelines state that institutions make misleading promises or guarantee good marks to parents/students for enrolment. This highlights how ranks and marks are becoming the only merit system – extra-curricular activities and the overall development of the student are ignored.
