Government Panel to Address Student Dependency on Coaching Centres and Entrance Exam Fairness

The Ministry of Education has taken a significant step towards reforming the education landscape in India by constituting a nine-member committee to investigate the growing reliance of students on coaching centres, the rise of so-called ‘dummy schools,’ and the fairness of competitive entrance exams. The committee is tasked with identifying systemic gaps and proposing actionable solutions to reduce undue dependence on coaching, improve the schooling system, and ensure equitable access to higher education.

Understanding the Panel’s Purpose and Leadership

The newly formed panel is chaired by Vineet Joshi, the Higher Education Secretary, who brings extensive administrative expertise to the role. This diverse committee includes senior officials from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), representatives from premier educational institutes such as IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, NIT Trichy, and NCERT, as well as school principals from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Navodaya Vidyalaya, and private schools.

Their mandate goes beyond just studying coaching centres; the committee will analyze various facets of the schooling and entrance exam ecosystem. Their aim is to suggest reforms that reduce student dependency on coaching institutes, improve the quality and fairness of entrance examinations, and strengthen the formal education system.

The Problem: Over-Reliance on Coaching Centres

One of the key issues highlighted by the Ministry of Education is the excessive reliance of students on coaching centres to prepare for entrance exams such as JEE Main, JEE Advanced for engineering aspirants, and NEET UG for medical aspirants. While these coaching centres have become integral to students’ preparation strategies, concerns around their growing influence on young learners are rising.

According to officials, this over-dependence stems largely from shortcomings within the current schooling system. The committee will specifically focus on gaps that lead students to seek coaching: the limited emphasis on critical thinking, logical reasoning, analytical skills, and innovation within regular school curricula, combined with the continued prevalence of rote learning methods.

These educational deficiencies make it challenging for students to develop the deep conceptual understanding necessary to excel in competitive exams through school education alone, forcing them to turn to coaching institutes that often specialize in exam-oriented training.

The Emergence of ‘Dummy Schools’ and Their Impact

The panel will also examine the phenomenon of ‘dummy schools,’ a growing trend in which students enroll primarily in schools without attending regular classes, dedicating themselves full-time to coaching centers instead. These dummy schools allow students to appear for board exams while focusing on intensive exam preparation through coaching.

Several factors contribute to this trend:

• State Quotas and Admission Policies: Students often opt for dummy schools in particular states to leverage domicile-based quotas for admission to medical and engineering colleges. For instance, students enrolled in Delhi’s dummy schools become eligible for the Delhi state quota in medical colleges, making this an attractive strategy.
   
• Lack of Formal Schooling Focus: Dummy schools, by design, tend to support full-time coaching at the expense of holistic schooling, disrupting the traditional education model.
   

The committee aims to understand why dummy schools have proliferated and assess their role in encouraging a coaching-dominated preparation culture. It will also propose measures to curb practices that undermine formal education.

Examining the Effectiveness and Fairness of Entrance Exams

The panel will conduct a critical evaluation of the competitive entrance examinations themselves. Their investigation will examine how the current structure and format of exams affect the coaching industry and influence students’ preparation approaches.

Key points of focus include:

• Alignment with School Education: The committee will study how the design and content of entrance exams align—or fail to align—with the school curriculum and assessment methods. This analysis will shed light on whether the exams encourage deep learning or merely rote memorization.
   
• Formative Assessments: Officials emphasize the importance of formative assessments, which provide ongoing feedback during the learning process. The panel will assess how their absence at school and higher education levels might affect students’ conceptual understanding and readiness for competitive exams.
   
• Demand and Supply Imbalance: Another critical area is the growing demand for quality higher education, juxtaposed with the limited availability of seats in premier institutions. This imbalance fuels intense competition, prompting students to seek coaching as a means to secure coveted placements.
   

Addressing Awareness and Career Guidance Deficiencies

Beyond the structural and systemic issues, the committee will also explore the awareness levels among students and parents regarding diverse career pathways. Currently, a significant lack of information leads many students to focus disproportionately on a few elite professional courses and institutions.

This narrow focus contributes to the coaching culture, as students feel pressured to succeed in entrance exams for these limited options. The committee will evaluate:

• Career Counselling Availability: How well-equipped schools and colleges are in providing effective career guidance services.
   
• Strengthening Guidance Frameworks: Recommendations to Enhance Career Counseling Mechanisms, Helping Students Make Informed Choices and Reduce Overreliance on Coaching for Mainstream Professional Courses.
   

Addressing Safety and Ethical Concerns in Coaching Centres

Coaching institutes in India have frequently been embroiled in controversies related to student welfare and safety. The government’s move to establish this committee comes in response to complaints about:

• Rising cases of student suicides are linked to academic pressure.
• Fire incidents and inadequate safety measures in coaching facilities.
• Concerns over teaching methodologies that may not promote holistic learning.
   

By bringing these issues to light, the committee’s findings and recommendations could lead to stricter regulatory oversight of coaching centres, ensuring safer and more supportive environments for students.

The Panel’s Composition Reflects a Multi-Stakeholder Approach

The inclusion of representatives from central educational boards, premier technical institutes, research bodies such as NCERT, and school principals across various sectors ensures that the panel’s review will be comprehensive and well-rounded. Their combined expertise will enable the panel to propose reforms that are practical, feasible, and responsive to the diverse needs of students across the country.

What This Means for Students and the Education System

The formation of this panel signals the government’s intent to confront entrenched challenges in India’s education system, especially those driving the coaching culture and raising questions about the fairness and relevance of competitive exams.

If the committee’s recommendations are implemented effectively, students could benefit from:

• A strengthened school curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking and problem-solving.
• Reduced need for expensive coaching, making preparation more accessible and less stressful.
• Fairer, more inclusive entrance examinations aligned with holistic learning.
• Enhanced career counselling, leading to better-informed career decisions.
   

Ultimately, this initiative could pave the way for a more balanced education ecosystem, where formal schooling, entrance exams, and coaching centres coexist constructively, supporting students’ all-around development.