Necessary evil or menace? Understanding why coaching centres still thrive despite suicides, mental health issues

Another student died by suicide in a private coaching centre in Kota, Rajasthan on December 23. According to news reports, this is the fourth such suicide case in December and the 15th case in 2022. 

In light of this disturbing fact and several other such previous incidents reported across India, among various sections of people reiterating the importance of mental well-being of students, there is no end to the mushrooming coaching culture. Parents continue to feel the need for enrolling their wards into coaching institutes and students too, despite being aware of the stress that they would go through, sign up. There is a need to understand why.

What nurtures the craze for coaching institutes?

"Parents often have aspirations higher than the students and this drives them to crave for their students to study in top-class institutes in India like IITs, AIIMS and so on. With this as the ultimate aim, parents grab at coaching, irrespective of whether they are offered by schools, private tuitions, coaching centres or EdTech platforms," says Ashwin R, career guidance expert and analyst.

"There is the thought that coaching is needed for students to score well. There are so many big shots in the coaching conglomerate that, somewhere, makes people believe that if students do not enrol there, there's no other way of obtaining good scores. They advertise the top scorers for this," explains career counselling expert Gaurav Tyagi.

"But the actual figures differ. Out of thousands of students, only 4-5 per cent of students are the top scorers," he adds. "The mad race for money and position along with peer pressure are to blame," adds Pradeep Rawat, President of the Gurgaon Parents' Association.

Necessity puts disadvantages aside?

"It is a herd mentality. Parents think if a so-and-so person sends their child to coaching, they should send their children too," said Tyagi. "We very well know that coaching is stressful for the kids and a lot of money is spent in the process; many even take loans to enrol their children in coaching institutes. But it is all about comparison," Rawat says further.

"Parents have the fear of missing out. There is the fear that if they do not enrol their children in coaching, the children will miss out on opportunities. They want the best for their child and it is a competitive world," said Yasasvi Santosh, Director of Spark Academy. Jyotsna Das, another parent from Odisha, whose daughter opts for NEET coaching, exemplifies this.

She said, "I know coaching is stressful. And I personally am not keen on mass percentage or marks, but there is the need to do well in order to earn bread and butter in the future. And the competition is so high that coaching becomes a necessity. Almost everyone enrols, and this creates a fear about the child's future if he/she does not enrol in top coaching centres."

On the other hand, brushing the idea of stress due to coaching centres aside, Vijayalakshmi K, Head of student wellness (DIsha), The Narayana Group, says it is a common misconception that coaching centres exert extra pressure on the students. "Coaching centres try to identify students’ learning gaps and guide students on how to correct them. This critical feedback, which is essential for learning is often misconstrued as exerting stress," she explains.

Did COVID-19 fuel the fire?

Students and parents agree that the pandemic definitely amplified the need to opt for coaching classes. "We have seen how our children studied during the pandemic. The classes were completely messed up. This created an additional necessity for coaching," Jyotsna added.

"For our batch, Class XI and XII were completed during the pandemic. Classes were not conducted properly and what we studied was not sufficient for the entrance exams. So, we opted for coaching thinking that we would get a better understanding of the topics and our studies would be carried out in a structured manner," elaborated Snehanshu Mishra, a student from Odisha, who takes JEE coaching.

Are self-learning and classroom teaching not enough?

There are several aspects due to which parents and experts feel that these are insufficient. All the same, they agree that the situation can be and needs to be improved.

"Classroom teaching is mostly aimed at Board exams. Many schools segregate students into CBSE and integrated classes. The students in the latter class are given extra materials and problems to solve. This has become a money-making business as the integrated students are asked to pay extra," said Ashwin R.

However, he admits that cracking entrance exams with self-study alone is difficult in this scenario. "Mugging up is not enough and students need extra practice materials to prepare for competitive tests. But if all the concepts are thoroughly clear for students, they would not require coaching, since the syllabi for entrance exams are in line with that of the CBSE. Our teachers need to be empowered," he added.

"Class teaching is enough if a student is 100 per cent attentive in class, which is most often not the case. If a student is attentive in class, only then self-study is effective. But students tend to get distracted very easily when studying on their own, especially when studying online. They tend to check notifications, WhatsApp messages and so on from time to time," says Tyagi.

Career counsellor and analyst Jayprakash Gandhi points out that there is also a problem with the faculty in schools. "There is a lack of good teachers in schools. Students are being taught only for competitive exams nowadays," he said. "Most schools lack teachers with a MSc degree. And coaching centres hire BTech graduates, who are well-versed with JEE pattern and are friendly with students," explained Ashwin. "But if school teaching focuses equally on Board exams and entrance tests, the stress among students and the coaching culture will reduce," Gandhi concluded.

"There are two sides to the story. On one hand, teachers slack off at schools because they feel that students would cover the same concepts in their coaching classes. And on the other hand, the teachers who are really good find that they earn much more in private coaching centres than if they work in schools, so they get employed there. This is a vicious cycle," said Pradeep Rawat.

"I find that my teachers are not capable of teaching the concepts required for entrance exams. We also do not get enough materials in the school," said Chinmay Dhongde, a JEE aspirant from Maharashtra. This adds to the necessity of coaching students. But the fact stands that coaching centres exert a great amount of stress on them.

What do students say about this?

"Stress is always there, especially from parents and peers. And adjusting to the coaching life is not easy," said Chinmay. "The confusion about which coaching institute to choose also adds to the stress," Snehanshu added.

"There are so many options to choose from and each one says they're good. And each gives the impression that they're good only till admission. After admission, we do not know how they will teach. When I enrolled in my coaching centre, they said that we would be given all the materials and schedules in the beginning, but we got them very late," he said.

How can the stress be countered?

"Students are made to study without making them aware of why they are working hard and what benefits they get, like gaining admission into top institutes like the IITs. This is the need of the hour. They will then prepare on their own and see the point of working hard. I personally prepared myself in this way. When I understood the benefits of studying in the top institutes, I slept for four hours, worked hard and finally made it to NIT Warangal," Ashwin said.

Jayprakash Gandhi agrees. "There are many other institutions to choose from if a student is not able to get into the top-ranked ones and such a situation is not the end. Parents need to understand the potential of their wards before enrolling them for coaching institutes," he said. 

"There is a need for coaching centres to sit together with students and parents and understand the students' capabilities and interests. I have no problem with coaching centres which follow this approach," Rawat said. "This will help maintain a balance," agreed Santosh.

Tyagi said that it is not only academics, depression over marks and comparison with others; students also tend to pressurise themselves as well. "Nowadays, there are mostly nuclear families with working parents. Many also live away from their parents and have no one to share their problems with. At least two to three counsellors should be employed by each coaching centre, whom students can approach at any point about any problems they face," he said.

"The fundamental reason for stress is how examinations are framed by society at large. It is often used as a proxy for self-worth. This deeply affects a student’s psyche, and they feel the need to live up to someone else’s expectations. Critical feedback should be followed by suggestions for improvement, but this crucial step is often left out by adults. This leaves students feeling guilty and helpless, leading to stress," says Vijayalakshmi.

Have coaching centres changed their approach to combat stress?

The parents and experts say no. They state that most of the coaching centres are only interested in making money and even if they have advertised changes in their approach due to the rising mental stress, they are only namesake in nature. But coaching centres disagree.

"Coaching centres have been criticised for adding to the mental stress among students. But we want our students to do well. We cater to the need for extra preparation. Some students unfortunately self-advise themselves that they will not be able to crack the entrance exams and resort to extreme steps," said a spokesperson from Target Classes, a private coaching institute in Kota.

Speaking about the Narayana Group, Vijaylakshmi says, "We create a positive error culture in our system. Every error is viewed as progress. The goal we set is to minimize errors, not maximize marks. Once students adopt this mindset, they are motivated to work on their learning gaps as they feel there is tangible progress being made."

"We have always taken in a limited number of students at our institute, even before COVID-19. We do not focus on marks. We do not set targets for students based on marks, but based on the number of questions they can solve. This has always been our approach, which ultimately leads to a change in the students' approach towards exams," says Santosh. "Other coaching centres, however, I do not think have brought in any changes in their approaches, because the size of the batches remains the same," he added.

Students conclude that the scenario is indeed changing slightly. "We are given grievance forms. Suppose we do not like a teacher's approach, do not understand someone's teaching or are facing any problems, we can notify them through the forms and the institute takes action. We have seen teachers being changed after complaints," Snehanshu, who studies at Resonance Bhubaneswar, said.

What's the role of EdTech platforms in this scenario?

"More students prefer online classes than physical ones especially after the pandemic. And EdTechs cater to this need," said the spokesperson for Target Classes. However, others feel that EdTech platforms are adding to the coaching culture and offer little help otherwise.

"Edtech platforms provide learning tools that can effectively complement classroom teaching. However, the sheer volume of content available today can overwhelm a student and cause stress. Edtech platforms are like social media in the sense that overexposure to them can increase stress levels," Vijaylakshmi states.

However, if students are directed by teachers to specific tools and platforms that fit their learning needs, edtech can be an asset. Parents and teachers need to work together and help discern the online tools that will maximize the progress of the student.

"There are so many players in the EdTech field now. With the growth comes the fact that most of these platforms do not have any expert faculty and no teaching experience. If only there is no one at all to clear doubts, a student should refer to online sources," opines Tyagi.

"EdTechs are also becoming competitive and they are not very effective," says Gandhi. "These platforms are purely commercial. Thus, the sole motive is rendered to profit and no true education is provided. EdTechs do not understand students' needs or contribute to developing their persona. Real help comes from the YouTube videos which are free," Rawat stated.

Santosh points out that it is the EdTechs which pressure and coax the parents into buying their products. He said, "Parents spend a lot of money and they then transfer the pressure to students. If a student is made to attend school, coaching and also EdTech courses all at once, it is a recipe for disaster."