We are all responsible for the coaching centre-driven anxiety

Source– The post is based on the article “We are all responsible for the coaching centre-driven anxiety” published in The Indian Express on 17th December 2022.

Syllabus: GS2- Development and management of education

Relevance– Challenges faced by education sector

News– The article explains the issues related to the coaching industry in India that is expanding at a very fast pace.

What are the reasons for the expansion of the coaching industry?

India represents a hyper-competitive and over-populated society. There is a complete mismatch between the overflow of job aspirants seeking medical or technical education and real opportunities.

For the aspiring middle class this sort of education seems to be the only capital for upward social mobility.

There is scarcity of jobs for those who seek to pursue liberal arts and social sciences.

There exists a nexus between the education mafia and the political class. It taps this anxiety and existential insecurity for spreading the chains of coaching centres and Ed-Tech companies is a big issue.

What is the way forward to reduce dependence on coaching?

Improvement in education– Teachers of educational institutes must regain our agency. They need to articulate critical and life-affirming voices through our innovative pedagogical practices, and open the windows of consciousness of young students.

Schools must assert their confidence through a vibrant culture of engaged pedagogy.

There is a need to question the supremacy of this life-killing standardised tests that serve the purpose of eliminating people rather than finding genuinely inclined students.

Parents responsibility– Parents also need some introspection. They should not interfere or impose their authority on children.

They must realise that  children are not investments — a raw material transformed into a polished product with placement offers. Children’s real happiness lies in experimenting, looking at themselves, and pursuing what they are inclined to.

Political accountability– We must hold the political class accountable for the steady decline of educational institutions and management quota and capitation fee charged by educational institutions.