Every third school student is taking private coaching. Urban families are spending an average of Rs 3988 per year on coaching. Rural families spend an average of Rs 1793 per year. Parents are helpless due to the poor quality of teaching in schools. Coaching is increasing educational inequality and a rote learning culture.
Today, education is not limited to the classroom but has taken the form of a huge market. A recent survey has made it clear that every third school student is moving towards private coaching. This situation is not limited to cities but has spread to villages and towns. Education, which was once considered a shared responsibility of the family and society, has now completely come under the grip of marketization and commercialization.
The widespread trend of coaching institutes indicates how weak the education system in our schools has become. The teacher-student ratio is imbalanced, there is a huge shortage of permanent teachers, and there is a lack of quality education in government schools. This is the reason why parents are forced to send their children to coaching classes even at an extra cost. Spending on education is not only a financial pressure for a family, but also a mental burden.
There are many social reasons behind the increase in expenditure on coaching. Increasing competition in competitive examinations, job insecurity and difficulties in admission to higher education push children towards additional studies from the early stage itself. This trend is more in cities because the competition is intense there, while this trend is gradually deepening in villages as well.
This question is not only about personal expenses, but also about the direction and condition of education. When children are unable to acquire sufficient knowledge even after going to school and have to study the same subject again in coaching, it directly means that there are serious flaws in the teaching method of schools. If the teachers are inspiring, textbooks are useful, and the environment is positive, then children do not need coaching outside the school.
The survey also shows that rural families are spending an average of Rs 1793 per year on coaching, while urban families spend about Rs 3988 per year. This difference is indicative of not only the income level but also the inequality in access to education. In cities, the coaching industry is functioning in an organized form, while in villages, it is mostly limited to individual tuition.
Another serious aspect is that this additional burden on education puts poor and middle-class families in deep trouble. Children of the upper class advance their studies through expensive coaching and tuition, but children of poor families are left behind due to this reason. This is a blow to the democratic nature of education, because education should be a means of providing equal opportunities, not a reason to increase inequality.
The government has claimed many times that the level of education in schools is being improved, but the reality is that the quality of teaching in classrooms is not reaching the level that students can become self-reliant. Schools should not be seen as institutions that only help students pass exams, but they should be developed as laboratories that develop curiosity, critical thinking and self-confidence in students.
Dependence on coaching is creating another crisis – it is pushing students towards a culture of rote learning. Coaching institutes generally focus on exam results and do not teach creativity or life values. Thus, students are becoming mere mark-scoring machines and not developing complete personalities.
As a solution, it is necessary to first ensure quality education in schools. Vacancies for teacher posts should be filled immediately, basic facilities should be available in schools, and the teaching method should be made more practical and student-centric. Until trust is built in schools, this coaching market will continue to grow.
It is also necessary that this trend be kept in mind in education policies. The new education policy aims to provide holistic education to the students, but if the pressure of coaching continues to increase, then this policy will also not be able to succeed in its objective. Education should be seen as a social responsibility instead of making it commercial.
Today the need of the hour is to reduce the burden of education on children. Instead of imprisoning them within the walls of coaching institutes, they should be allowed to learn in an open environment. The spirit of competition is good, but when it becomes based only on economic strength, it creates a deep divide in society.
The education market is constantly expanding, and this is a serious question mark on our education system. If the level of education in schools is improved, the responsibility and accountability of teachers is fixed, and the confidence of parents is restored, only then will we be able to reduce dependence on coaching. Otherwise, not every third but every second child will be seen running towards coaching.
