Govt forms panel to reduce coaching dependency

The education ministry has set up an eleven-member committee to deliberate on the whole gamut of concerns around coaching centres - from gaps in the schooling system to limited availability of seats in premier institutions, besides the "effectiveness and fairness" of competitive entrance exams and their "influence" on the growth of the coaching industry.

The committee is also tasked with reviewing the "advertising practices" of coaching centers, including the use of "misleading claims" and the promotion of selective success stories, and recommend suitable mechanisms. The other major underlying concern - the rising demand for quality higher education, limited availability of seats in premier institutions, and how this imbalance drives students towards coaching institutes - will also be deliberated upon by the committee. To be chaired by Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi, the committee will have on board CBSE chairman, representatives from IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, NIT Trichy and NCERT, besides three principals from a Kendriya Vidyalaya, Nvaodaya Vidyalaya and a private school. It has been tasked with deliberating on all "issues relating to coaching and work towards reducing the dependency of students on coaching" and is expected to brief the Union education minister on a monthly basis, as per a June 17 order issued by the ministry.

The Joshi-led committee has been asked to 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. It will also look at reasons behind the emergence of "dummy schools" and their role encouraging full-time coaching at the cost of formal schooling and suggest ways to mitigate them.


Further, the panel will evaluate the awareness levels among students and parents regarding multiple career pathways and the impact of this lack of awareness on the over-dependence on a few elite institutions. It will also consider the availability and effectiveness of career counselling services in schools and colleges, and suggest measures for strengthening career guidance frameworks.