CUET and the coaching culture: Here's how EdTechs are prepping and what academicians are saying

Although many private platforms have already begun coaching, there are student organisations and academicians who shed light on points that could serve as deterrents  
Pic credits: Edex Live
Pic credits: Edex Live

While UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar has categorically stated that the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) will not lead to more parents knocking on the doors of coaching centres, the word on the street says otherwise.

Take EdTech platform Unacademy for instance, which says they have been offering courses for CUET for some time now. These come in three broad categories: CUET Language and General Test, CUET UG Science, and CUET UG Commerce. A course for Humanities and Arts is also in the works. "Several hundred learners are already enrolled in the course," says a source from Unacademy, without divulging the exact number of students who have signed up. 

A source from Aakash BYJU'S, an EdTech specialising in entrance exam coaching, which has also announced coaching classes for the CUET, says students have already signed up for their course, although they too, did not share the exact number.

CUET is to be conducted on the basis of the NCERT syllabus, and that adds an extra layer of burden on students following the various state syllabi. While the issue of disparity in grading across various state boards, which has caused controversy in the admission process of certain universities, will be evened out through CUET, students of the state syllabus, and those from rural areas will require guidance in order to crack the exam.

"There were few parents who enquired about the programme after the UGC made it mandatory for students to appear for the exam if they have to apply to central universities," says Yasasvi Santosh, Director of the Spark Academy.

Help will be required
This observation has been echoed by Himanshu Gautam, Co-founder, Safalta. "CUET is an exam being conducted for the first time. It needs certain expertise and structure. Even the brightest of students who traditionally wouldn’t have opted for coaching will require certain hand-holding and since these exams are aimed at university admissions, parents and children are looking for guidance," he says.

Furthermore, Co-founder and CEO, Filo, Imbesat Ahmad, opined, "The ratio of seats available to the number of applicants is still very competitive. By design, one would have to get the foundation of academic concepts right to get through. This will happen only if one gives board exams its due importance. At a student level, given variables like time, learning proficiency, competition and preparedness; things can tilt in favour of CUET," he added.

The exam has been conducted since 2012, with 14 central universities having signed up for it until last year. Apart from the central universities, for whom the test is mandatory, it is also being adopted by some state and private universities as well.

The share of the education sector in India was 91.7 billion USD in 2018, which has risen to 117 billion USD in 2020 and continues to expand. The coaching industry alone contributes approximately 3.5 billion USD.

When we asked Maninder Singh Bajwa, Founder of iScuela, a digital platform known for building educational products, whether their digital platform is planning to initiate a CUET curriculum, he stated, "As it is the first year of conducting the CUET exam we are not sure how it is going to be, we are going to look at how it works and then decide. Decisions need to be made on what curriculum to include and how much it is going to cost."

The recent move to offer paid CUET coaching by Delhi University's Ramanujan College, which was withdrawn after a backlash, was condemned by student organisation Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS). They even demanded that the Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University and the Principle of Ramanujan College issue an unconditional public apology for attempting to commercialise access to public-funded education through this crash course.

National President for All India OBC Students Association (AIOBCSA), Kiran Kumar, commenting on the coaching culture that CUET might just end up encouraging, said, "Coaching centres are for whom? The affordability level of students is very less, especially for women who are restrained by patriarchal boundaries, what happens to these students?"

"The government needs to come up with plans to support students," he says.

"Although protests can be staged against conducting CUET, there won't be any desired result because already nine lakh students have enrolled," Kiran said and added that to do their bit, they are spreading awareness by circulating information about CUET in rural areas and making students aware about it.

Meanwhile, when asked what is the situation of the state board students, Associate Professor Miranda House, Abha Dev Habib, said, "According to educators reports online, only 22,000 schools have pursued CBSE syllabus from Delhi and metropolitan cities which makes other state boards are marginalised."

Commenting on whether training for CUET should be encouraged, Professor Abha shared, "CUET should be scrapped. This is not a solution. If board marks are a disease in a country, that disease has to be controlled any other way. CUET is a new problem altogether which leads to massification and is a boon for the coaching mafia."

Commenting on a possible alternative, Abha insisted, "At the undergraduate, many students will drop out and join coaching for technical courses, people will not want to spend lakhs on CUET and then what? Looking at the fact that the announcement leaves no time for information to reach all colleges, that first-generation learners are going to be badly hit, state board students going are to be badly hit and the right of state governments have been marginalised. An admission system has existed for all universities and the same should continue. The government should bring state boards together to think about marking and schooling has to be fortified." 

But what the professor firmly emphasises on is, "This (CUET) should be scrapped now"  


Maybe, maybe not
Sharing his views on the coaching culture arising because of the CUET exam, former Vice-Chancellor of the Osmania University, Prof T Tirupati Rao said, "Attending coaching limits one's focus to only bookish knowledge and memorising will be practised to clear the examination. This stands as an obstacle for all-round growth and does not cater to the holistic development of students."

Citing the reference of his Chancellorship, the professor stated that back then, students were missing classes to attend coaching for common entrance tests. Considering this as their choice for a better career, the university provided a facility where the same teachers who were teaching the students for the common entrance tests, were called to the university for two coaching sessions: early morning and another after classes. So that in this way, students are encouraged while both money and time are saved, he suggested.

Former Executive Member of Hyderabad Schools Parents Association (HSPA), Ashish Naredi, said, "The moment you have an entrance examination, the coaching will begin and it cannot be stopped." It will be initiated either by any university, private institute or online, he added.

When asked his opinion on the situation of state board students as the syllabus for CUET is based on NCERT, Ashish responded stating, "I don't think that would make a very significant difference as it is pretty much manageable and won't serve as a huge disadvantage."

National Media Convenor and State Secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Delhi, Sidharth Yadav said that students with good preparation for boards and basic classroom teaching can perform well in the CUET exam. 

"With the examination being conducted this year, we will be able to analyse how many students will be opting for coaching and students will be aware of how beneficial it is to them," says Sidharth.

Related Stories

No stories found.
logo
EdexLive
www.edexlive.com