Rayees Masroor
rayeesmasroor111@gmail.com
There was a time when coaching meant personal guidance and mentorship,a teacher helping a student find clarity, confidence, and purpose of education and life.Today, it has entirely become something else. Large halls jam packed with hundreds of students, microphones instead of mentorship, and the results are measured only by grades and marks. The so called “coaching revolution” has turned learning into a commercial affair, where understanding often gets lost in the crowd.
To understand phenomenon of private coaching institutes which has now spread across India, it is important to understand the origin of this craze by going back to the 1980s.In the year 983 in Kota, a man namely, V K Bansal started personal tuitions at his home to help students prepare for the IIT-JEE.Some of his students actually went on to clear the entrance examination.Inspired by his success In 1991, he founded Bansal Classes. Later, other competitors like Allen, Resonance and Vibrant came up laying the foundation for private coaching and changing forever the face of Kota which is a small city by the side of river Chambal in Rajasthan.
At present,the coaching industry is certainly not limited to Kota or Rajasthan.
Coaching Institutes are now rampant and found everywhere. As students,teachers or parents, all of us have had some experience with it.
A government survey shows that about 27 per cent of school going students in India attend private coachin centres.Urban participation is higher ( 30.7 %), while in rural areas it is around 25.5 per cent.It means that, nearly one in three students is now supplementing school learning with paid tuition or coaching.For many families, it has become an expensive affair but a necessary investment.It has literally become a new normal in education.This unprecedented rise raises important questions: Are students truly learning more or just attending more classes? Where does real teaching fit when exam pressure fuels coaching as default?The reality is that true coaching is not about competition only.it is about connection.The real coaching refers to the one-to-one or small-group mentoring, where a teacher understands a student’s strengths and weaknesses. It is about building confidence,not creating clones.The real purpose of coaching should be to supplement classroom transactions or learning, not replace it.
Unfortunately, we are witnessing an industrialized education where numbers matter more than minds. We must ask wether the students are really learning or just attending and cramming information.The enormous expansion of coaching centres appears to pose significant challenges to the country’s commitment to a fair and egalitarian educational system.The findings of a credible survey underscore that this shadow education is predominantly catering to a handful of the well-off sections of society, while systematically excluding the disadvantaged sections. Moreover, significant disparities in access to education in general and shadow education in particular are more pronounced in rural and peripheral communities, where real coaching opportunities are scarce and public institutions are facing multiple challenges.
Over the years the coaching culture in Kashmir has grown into an extensive phenomenon, effecting the very idea of education. What once began as supplementary help for struggling or average students has now turned into a parallel system, often overshadowing the mainstream school system. Large numbers of students crowd into private coaching institutes, where teaching or learning is reduced to mere rote memorization and exam tricks rather than conceptual understanding. Teachers are being judged not by their ability to motivate or inspire, but by how many students they can attract or how many toppers they can produce. This has created a new culture of competition, pressure, and confusion among students and parents alike. The real aim of education to develop curiosity, creativity, and character is being lost in this mad race for marks.This unregulated coaching culture has fostered waywardness among students, undermining discipline and respect for learning. The focus on marks and shortcuts has eroded moral conduct, reducing education to a transaction rather than a transformative process. Both students and teachers are caught in a system where principles or morality take a backseat to competition and profit, leaving behind a generation whose values and character are compromised.Also ,unlike many other countries, our schools still lack proper guidance and counselling services. As a result, students and even their parents often have no clear idea about career pathways or future choices. Instead of discovering their true capabilities or potential, many simply follow the trend, and are pushed into coaching centres.It is time we realise that career guidance is not a luxury but a necessity.Every student deserves direction, not pressure.The recent incident in Anantnag Kashmir has once again exposed the harsh truth that modern coaching culture is no longer just about learning. It is being driven by fashion, glamour, branding, image-building, and aggressive advertisement. This commercialism mixed with glamourism has turned education into a mere marketplace where style often overshadows substance.
It is high time we bring back the real spirit of education, discipline, sincerity, and genuine learning.It is time for some introspection.The concerned departments,stakeholders and policymakers must draw clear lines between teaching and training, between learning and cramming. Schools need to regain their central place by improving classroom quality, making teachers accountable, and integrating exam preparation into formal education.
it is important to Introduce concept driven, interactive learning that reduces rote dependence.Local authorities must enforce a code of conduct by limiting overcrowding, ensure qualified teachers, and prevent exploitation of young students.
More importantly,exams including the competitive examinations should test understanding, not just memorization.Parents too must realize that no coaching institute can replace a sincere teacher or a supportive home environment.
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