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The toxic environment of coaching centres across India has been playing havoc with young minds. Year after year, reports of student suicides bring in a sense of déjà vu with a numbing effect on our collective conscience. Considered the country’s education hub, Kota in Rajasthan has become a killing field where dreams die at the altar of unreasonable expectations fuelled by parental and peer pressure.

 

Nearly two lakh students from all over India are enrolled in Kota’s coaching centres to pursue their dreams. However, unable to cope with academic pressure and overcome by a sense of guilt, many students take their own lives.  Last year, as many as 17 students died by suicide and seven students have taken their lives this year so far.

 

Ray of hope

 

For long, there have been calls for reining in the coaching centres and addressing the elephant in the room: rise in student suicides.

 

In this grim backdrop, a new legislation introduced by the Rajasthan government to regulate the mushrooming coaching centres is a welcome move. Hopefully, the Rajasthan Coaching Centres (Control and Regulation) Bill, tabled in the assembly recently, will be an effective tool to curb the menace resulting from commercialisation of education. Once passed, Rajasthan will become the first state to implement a comprehensive legislation regulating coaching centres.

 

The bill mandates that coaching centres with over 50 students must register and meet specific standards to qualify for registration, in a bid to ensure greater accountability. It also calls for fee regulation with a refund provision and imposes penalties of up to Rs 5 lakh for non-compliance. Each year, lakhs of students enrol in the mushrooming coaching centres across the state, particularly in Kota which has a market size of over Rs 5,000 crore.

 

Areas of concern

 

While the introduction of the legislation is laudable, there are several areas of concern that remain unaddressed. In fact, there are allegations that the state bill has diluted some of the provisions of the central government’s guidelines issued in January last year. Important among them is the age criteria.

 

While the Centre mandated that the coaching centres should not enrol students below the age of 16 years, the Rajasthan bill has removed the age criteria. The educational experts warn that removing the minimum age limit will only help the coaching industry.

 

Another area of concern pertains to the aptitude test for admissions. While the Centre wanted it to be made mandatory, the state bill makes it optional. On the segregation of batches based on the performance of students—a common practice by the coaching centres—, the Centre’s guidelines want it to end while the state legislation is silent on the issue.

 

Also read: Why is India an unhappy Republic?
 

It must be pointed out that the coaching establishments offering intensive exam preparation for IIT-JEE and NEET had opposed the Union government’s January 2024 guidelines, particularly the age limit, which they claimed caused a 30-40% decline in student registrations and significant financial losses last year.

 

Naturally, the removal of age limit provision is being viewed as a concession to the influential lobby of coaching institutions.

 

Regulatory authority

 

One of the key highlights of the bill is the proposal for establishment of a 12-member regulatory authority with powers on par with a civil court to regulate the functioning of the coaching institutes. The legislation also envisages formation of committees in every district to monitor coaching centres, provide counselling for students to reduce stress, remedial classes for those lagging behind and set up of days and recreational activities.

 

Typically, the coaching centres operate in a largely unregulated environment, luring lakhs of students every year with promises of guaranteed success in competitive examinations such as NEET, IIT-JEE, IIM entrance tests, and CLAT.

 

The false claims and high-pressure environment fostered by many of these institutes result in widespread disillusionment and despair among students when outcomes do not match expectations. Tragically, this often leads to heightened stress levels and, in several instances, even suicides.

 

Role model for other states

 

Though there is vast scope for improvement, Rajasthan's bill is the right step in checking the predatory industry. Other states must follow the suit and formulate appropriate legislation. The need for such a legislation is particularly felt in the two Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh which have a strong presence in the education market. There is an intense competition among the coaching centres that have mushroomed across the two states. 

 

The BJP government in Rajasthan took the initiative and formulated the bill in response to the Centre’s guidelines which were circulated to all states and union territories to support the development of a robust legal framework.

 

The bill mandates the coaching centres to provide psychological counselling for students, complete classes within the stipulated time, and provide remedial support for students requiring additional academic assistance. The coaching Institutes can no longer fake toppers or inflate success rates. They must do mandatory disclosure of faculty, infrastructure and ownership.

 

All are culprits

 

From parents to peers and teachers, each has a share of blame in the sorry state of affairs. The combination of rigorous test preparation, long study hours, and parental expectations exert great pressure on the mental well-being of students.

 

Every year, the coaching institutes hold roadshows with garlanded students perched atop jeeps. However, the media highlights the success stories of only those who make it to the elite institutions while the struggles and miseries of thousands of aspirants remain untold and unaddressed. The entire education eco-system that puts a premium on success and shuts the doors on alternative career avenues is to be blamed for the situation. For students, many of whom come from modest economic backgrounds, a lot is at stake.

 

A study revealed that four out of ten students in Kota were struggling with depression and eight out of 10 were anxious or stressed. There is a growing need for comprehensive mental health support and guidance to address the crisis. The successive governments have failed to take corrective steps to arrest the ominous trend.