Coaching Classes, should be allowed only in school premises?

With the vast divergence of areas of studies in our country, with it, there has been a large proliferation of coaching classes both inside as well as outside the academic premises. If we ponder over the needs of coaching classes, naturally we will come to the first need that has arisen, due to increase in the contents of academic courses. Contents which cannot be taught in a school period of 35 to 45 minutes in a day. Moreover due to this laxity of time as well as due to difference of intellect among the pupils, sometimes these pupils need some extra attention in the form of coaching classes. It has been seen that there has also been need for coaching classes specially for plus 10 students mainly for preparing for various entrances. In a nutshell, what could be said about the need aspect of coaching classes, whether, inside or outside the school premises, we can say that, as divergent are these coaching classes, so, divergent are its needs.

Now in our discussion on coaching classes, next aspect that I would like to discuss is its greed aspect. Coaching classes in the long run, may be said to be a medium, where in the name of career making of pupils has become a device of earning cheap money in an exorbitant way. Moreover in cases of giving coaching for entrance examinations, where the number of seats in various higher educational institutes vis-a-vis the number of students taking coaching for these exams vastly outnumbers, so it has made coaching a game of gambling in the name of career of these pupils. We can also say that, keeping in mind the greed aspect of coaching classes that these coaching classes irrespective of whether outside or inside the school premises has become a money spinning machine. Thus large sums of money are siphoned of in the name of coaching from parents. We may also say that the punchline for most of the coaching institutes is 'make hey while the sun shines'.

Now, coming specially to our topic under discussion, that is, whether coaching classes, should be allowed in school premises, we may say that it has both positive and negative aspects. The positive aspects include things like, coaching can be game-changer for both the teacher and the pupils in schools. In today's India, unemployment is grave among the youth and in this regard unemployment among the educated youth is no exception. On the other hand though qualified and trained teachers are there in schools already, at the same time, there are a large qualified and trained students of teaching, who are still unemployed. So in such a scenario, we can employ these educated and trained youths itself in school premises as coaching staffs or tutors. For this, they can be paid remunerations at the initiative of respective states education departments and the school managing committees and not by pupils. These efforts can yield two positive results, firstly, help the coaching staffs in earning some money and secondly, give the pupils an extra-edge in their career via the medium of coaching inside school premises thereby giving extra care and attention by these coaching institutes without taking any remuneration from the pupils. Here I think, it would not be an exaggeration to say that, the respective governments irrespective of whether state or union in their respective domain may try to utilize these coachers or trainers of coaching institutes situated inside the school campus in regularizing their jobs as permanent teachers looking at the sole criteria of their performance as coachers of their respective coaching institutes. This will greatly help in raising the level of education as well as give employments to many youths.

Now coming to our discussion on the negative aspects of coaching inside school premises, we may say that these may lead to many unethical practices like diversion of pupils from regular school classes to coaching classes. Secondly, it may also lead to bunking of regular classes by the teacher-pupil combine in school and giving more attention to coaching. As coaching has become lucrative business in our country, so these coaching institutes may force by various unethical tactics, the poor and the downtrodden sections of the society to join them in the name of career making and thereby putting a big hole in the family budget. In a nutshell while analyzing the negative aspects of coaching inside school premises, we may say that in this way by dint of coaching we may create some businessmen (in the form of coachers) selling education to their clients who are none but the pupils of various schools.

Looking at the pros and cons of our point under discussion that is whether coaching classes should be allowed only in school premises we should certainly remember our constitutional ethoes. In this regard, I would like to point out about the 'Right to Education Act', which postulates to make Education a fundamental right by the 86th Amendment of the Constitution by making education free for all from the age of 6 to 14. In this way 'Right to Education Act' wants to keep out of the purview of earning cheap money in the form of coaching inside school premises. This will certainly make 'Education for all' campaign in India a reality from the present day myth by providing free education to all the pupils of various schools in our country thereby curtailing the effects of this double-edged sword, that is coaching.

Jnandeep Bora

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