Start career help from class 8, fix schooling to curb coaching: Panel
A government panel suggests starting career guidance from Class 8 and creating a national aptitude portal. Voluntary after-school classes will support students preparing for entrance exams. External coaching might be restricted to after Class 10...
A government panel proposes early career guidance, a national aptitude portal, regulated coaching, and revised entrance exams to ease student pressure and improve access. (Representative Image)
New Delhi: Career guidance for school students should begin as early as Class 8, and a national aptitude and career guidance portal and voluntary "after-school" classes to prepare students for entrance exams should be introduced, a top government panel is learnt to have recommended as part of its 10-point plan to curb coaching dependence among school students.
ET takes a look at the key recommendations learnt to have been made by the Committee on Reducing the Dependency of Students on Coaching Centre. It is said to have recently submitted its report to the Centre for consideration.
Structured career guidance should be institutionalised from Class 8 onwards, through Classes 9 and 10, to ensure counselling for students and parents right from middle school, backed by alumni and expert interactions on the numerous opportunities available across areas. A national aptitude and career guidance portal is also sought to be created, ET has learnt.
Seeks after-school module to train students in competitive exams; Board exam reforms
The after-school class
The panel has proposed allowing schools to offer voluntary, framework-based "after-school support" for up to two hours, balancing it with sports, yoga, mindfulness and counselling. Part-time subject experts, professors of practice and counsellors could support school-led preparation, reducing dependence on coaching centres.
It has also proposed remedial and mentoring classes aligned with entrance exams, with CBSE developing a framework for curated material, regular testing and performance analysis. External coaching could be restricted to after Class 10 and limited to 2-3 hours a day. A biometric attendance system linked to APAAR ID and U-DISE data has also been proposed to curb coaching-centric "dummy" schools.
The panel has proposed aligning JEE/NEET-UG requirements with Class 11-12 syllabi across boards. It has also suggested holding entrance exams from Class 11, conducting them twice a year (April and November), and eventually moving to an on-demand mode to ease single-exam pressure. It has proposed scrapping the December/January JEE attempt, ensuring a six-month gap with Class 12 boards, and shifting to adaptive, computer-based and aptitude-based testing.
The Board exam
The panel has proposed restoring the primacy of school and board exams, with board marks accounting for up to 50% of entrance-test scores. It has also suggested ending inflated marking, reviewing the pass-mark threshold, and separately earmarking internal assessments and practicals.
Coaching culture
The panel has proposed central legislation to regulate coaching and tighter checks on advertising, including disclosure of paid content and treating false claims on ranks, selections, success rates, faculty and placements as "unfair trade practices". It has also sought disclosure of batch sizes and selection rates, disclaimers on varying outcomes, and a ban on claims such as "guaranteed selection" and "assured rank".
ADVERTISEMENT
Higher learning
The panel has also focused on improving higher education quality, training teachers in competitive-exam pedagogy, aligning teacher training with exam reforms, and analysing exam patterns across rural and urban areas.
