Education is the backbone of a nation. The more educated a nation becomes, the more prosperous it becomes. Thus, spread of education in a nation and spread of prosperity of its citizens are co-terminus. May be that is why, modern nations of our times give utmost stress on spreading literacy among its citizens. At the same time, in the specific context of our country, it is worthwhile pondering whether, we have been able to make a qualitative expansion of education in our country or just a quantitative one only. If qualitative expansion of education is marked by the cognitive abilities like creativity and innovation, then looking at the scenario in our country, it can be rightly said that, promoting the spread of education by taking the help of coaching institutes or, in other words, by private coaching is only a quantitative expansion of education in our country.
In this pretext, following below are the points to prove that coaching institutes promotes only a quantitative expansion of education instead of a qualitative one: –
Coaching institutes and commercialisation of education: –
The very motive of coaching institutes or coaching centres, as called in common parlance in our country has only promoted ‘commercialisation of education’ in our country. One need to pay huge amount of money to get in to such institutes in the form of fees. At the same time, whether one can pay such a huge fee is not at all the headache of those who are at the helm of affairs in such institutes. In this way, money motive guides such institutes in its day to day affairs. Education, which I consider to be a god-gifted divine right of every individual rather has turned out to be a commercial product. In such a scenario, in our country imparting education is in the grip of commercial coaching centres thereby, making mockery of the very divine nature of attainment of education as far as our country is concerned.
Coaching and the pied-piper phenomenon: –
In the present time, there has been a great divergence of academic courses in our country. At the same time, in coping with such a situation, the ultimate way ahead for the parents seems to train their wards via the means of coaching. A 35-45 minutes’ period in schools and colleges is not enough for these students/pupils to cover such a huge course for them. Therefore, the ultimate way for them is coaching. With it what is seen is associated a pied-piper phenomenon. What is meant by the pied-piper phenomenon is the fact that, whenever a bright student of the class joins coaching the rest of the pupils/students mostly follows him like the pied and the piper story. Therefore, these coaching classes sometimes, urges/instigates the bright pupils/students to join their classes and thereby as others joins they have a good business. In this way, the punchline for these coaching classes is to ‘make hey while the sun shines’.
Coaching for tiny-tots – a new phenomenon :-
A new phenomenon has been observed which is coaching of tiny-tots. In various primary schools, in order to get admission in the admission tests, the parents are sometimes compelled to give tuition/coaching and in this endeavour these small kids are mock trained by the very teachers of the primary schools. This development of coaching has mainly two repercussions. Firstly, these tiny-tots at the age of having fun and playing are compelled to have a stressful life in these coaching institutes and secondly, coaching among the tiny-tots too is an indication of the extreme commercialisation of education in our country and thereby giving qualitative teaching and learning a good-bye in our country.
Coaching near schools and higher educational premises:-
In this age of commercialisation of education, what has been seen is that in the vicinity of educational institutes mainly, near government aided institutes a trend of giving coaching is being followed. This lures both the teachers and the pupils/students of such educational institutes to turn to these coaching institutes instead of developing their own educational institutes. We find near the educational institutes hoardings/banners of the coaching classes. In the long run, these hoardings/banners of these coaching classes instigate both the teacher student combine to coaching classes. All in all, coaching in our country has become an addiction and spread of qualitative education its eventual casualty.
The emerging scenario – house-packed coaching centres visa-vis empty educational institutes: –
At the present times, things have come to such a pass that we most of the time find that in most cases, the classes in the educational institutes mostly the government institutes are empty as the pupils/students of these institutes are busy in house-packed coaching institutes. In some coaching classes, the number of pupils/students are even more then the regular classes of schools or colleges. It is also found that, in such coaching classes there is little scope for doubt clearing for its pupils/students. The only motive, thus, for such coaching classes is to only siphon off money from their pupils/students and to finish their various academic syllabus by hook or by crook.
Pupils/Students of coaching classes lacks in creativity but expert at cramming:-
In the long run, coaching is a business and the pupils/students are the clients of these so-called teachers of these coaching institutes. Most of the time, the so-called teachers of these coaching institutes compel its students to cram the questions and answers of the various subjects. Thus, in this way students become parrots and the teachers the parrot trainers. The eventual casualty of these trends of coaching is the lack of creativity and innovation among its students. A little out of the box question when asked to these pupils/students make them dumb. I think, the mushroom growth of coaching in our country is also one of the reason for producing so many graduates and post-graduates in our country, but, a few, whose numbers can be counted on the finger tips laureates like Kabi-guru Rabindranath Tagore, Dr Amartya Sen, Dr C.V. Raman, Mr Kailash Satyarthi to name a few in this regard. The jest of the matter is that, coaching makes its teachers as well its pupils/students selfish and money minded with no obligation of theirs to their society.
Coaching—the gateway to higher marks: –
Coaching centres when controlled and run by the teachers of the government aided schools can be a gateway to higher marks for its pupils/students. As the teacher in the class-test, half-yearly exams or in various school exams set questions, so these teachers provide their pupils/ students question papers in advance, in order to increase their marks in such exams. This trend has twin objectives – firstly, to propagate their coaching centres and secondly, sometimes to give an image/ dream to its students that a bright future for them lies ahead. What further tempts the pupils/students of those subjects having practical papers is that, if they join the coaching of the teachers of these practical subjects then these pupils/students are assured to get good marks. This makes the teachers of these coaching institutes a money spinning machine and its pupils/students dream chasers and in this effort both the teachers and the pupils/students adopts dubious means.
In a nutshell, what can be concluded is that, with the proliferation of coaching classes in our country, what has flourished is a great business via illegal means of ‘buying and selling of education in our country’. At present degrees, can be bought by students by illegal means by dint of coaching institutes. In such a scenario, the students do not have respect for their teachers nor the teachers mostly have any love for their students. The only motive for both the teachers and the students combine is money and only money. In this way, money motive at the present times guides one and all in the education sector of our country. The eventual casualty of all these developments is a big blow to the ‘guru shishya’ parampara as prevalent in our country from time immemorial. This itself in one way or the other can be considered as a hindrance in the qualitative expansion of education in our country.
JNANDEEP BORA is Author , 42 years old ,a senior judicial assistant in The Gauhati High Court.He is the Winner of International Essay Competition, May, 2019 organized by Monomousumi Services.
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