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The committee will investigate the shortcomings in the current school education system that lead students to rely more on coaching centres than school studies.
Many students preparing for engineering and medical entrance exams opt for dummy schools to focus solely on their preparations. (Representative image/File)
The Central Government’s Ministry of Education has established a special committee to address issues related to the coaching of entrance examinations, their impact, and fairness. This nine-member committee will delve deeply into the subject to understand the increasing dependence on coaching centres, reported PTI.
The committee will investigate the shortcomings in the current school education system that lead students to rely more on coaching centres than school studies. It aims to uncover the reasons behind this preference and identify the gaps that need addressing.
One of the key areas the committee will explore is the rise of ‘dummy schools’ and their effects on the formal education system. These institutions often promote full-time coaching at the expense of genuine schooling, and the committee will investigate how this trend impacts education.
The committee will also review the advertising practices of coaching centres, examining the misleading claims and selective success stories used to attract students and parents.
Officials have stated that the Ministry of Education’s nine-member panel, headed by Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi, will recommend measures to reduce students’ dependency on coaching centres for higher education transitions. The committee will scrutinise the current schooling system’s gaps, such as the limited emphasis on critical thinking, logical reasoning, analytical skills, and innovation, and the prevalence of rote learning practices.
“The committee will examine the gaps in the current schooling system that contribute to students’ reliance on coaching centres, particularly the limited focus on critical thinking, logical reasoning, analytical skills and innovation and the prevalence of rote learning practices,” a senior Ministry of Education official told PTI.
Many students preparing for engineering and medical entrance exams opt for dummy schools to focus solely on their preparations. These students do not attend classes but directly appear for board exams. Aspirants also enroll in dummy schools to benefit from state-specific quotas for admissions to medical and engineering colleges. For instance, completing senior secondary education in Delhi makes candidates eligible for the Delhi state quota in medical colleges, incentivising them to enrol in dummy schools in the capital.
The committee will examine the reasons behind the emergence of dummy schools, their role in promoting full-time coaching over formal schooling, and suggest ways to mitigate this issue. It will also evaluate the effectiveness and fairness of competitive entrance examinations within the context of the school education system and their influence on the growth of the coaching industry.
The panel will assess the role and impact of formative assessments at school and higher education levels and how their absence affects students’ conceptual understanding and preparedness for competitive exams. Additionally, the committee will analyse the rising demand for quality higher education, limited availability of seats in premier institutions, and how this imbalance drives students towards coaching institutes.
Another key area of focus will be evaluating the awareness levels among students and parents regarding multiple career pathways and how this lack of awareness contributes to the over-dependence on a few elite institutions. The committee will also assess the availability and effectiveness of career counselling services in schools and colleges and suggest measures to strengthen career guidance frameworks.
The panel includes members from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), joint secretaries from the school and higher education departments, representatives from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, National Institute of Technology (NIT) Trichy, IIT Kanpur, and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Additionally, principals from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Navodaya Vidyalaya, and a private school are part of the committee.
This initiative comes in response to several controversies surrounding coaching centres, including complaints about rising student suicides, fire incidents, lack of facilities, and teaching methodologies. The government’s move aims to address these issues comprehensively.
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