Recently I gave a visit to my house at Alibag on the day of Gudi Padva. My family was with me, the trip was beautiful. The change from a busy scheduled lifestyle in New Panvel to a flexible one was awesome. Met good old friends. I had just given my engineering entrance exam, the JEE Main,so had many of my friends. A bit of load had moved away, not to empty my mind but just to give it a warm up session to welcome yet another one; the State CET and others. My mind was like making every single excuse to have a break now. This visit was a good solution. Almost after a year I had been to my house. The mangoes had grown bigger, yet bore no fruit. The neighbour's trees were bowing down due the weight of the fruits. In New Panvel, I saw them on footpaths, vendors selling them. The saying, "When you leave Mumbai, you hug nature" proved right! Yet another fact, "With nature, you are in peace, and in peace, your mind works" was gonna be true very soon...
On the day of Gudi Padwa, my dad invited his friends home, he hadn't met them for months! A small amount of snack was arranged- Samosas and Jalebis. Guests arrived, beautiful evening it was; humorous and full of joy. The evening went by, soon. Our stomachs were filled so mum decided not to make dinner and we decided to go to the beach that night. House was a bit far from the beach and thus we needed a transport. My dad's friend had left his motorcycle, in case we needed it. And yes we did! I drove my dad and then mum and bro in two trips. It was low tide then, the beach had become dirty due to the things that had washed off to the shore. Mosquitos enjoyed blood. We sat on a bench, me, mum and dad. My bro and cousin went on the sand to play. Waves enjoyed their way to the shore, one by one. Just then my father's phone rang. It was his friend. It had been a bit of practice now, that people enquired about schools to join, streams to opt and other vital decisions to take, to me. But then one more question was becoming more frequent now. My dad held the call and asked me,
"His brother's son has just given Class 10 board examinations. Now he wishes to study science further and then do engineering. Which coaching class is the best among these- Quality Circle, Vidyasagar or Vidyalankar?"
I had seen Quality Circle's board one day walking home from my own coaching institute. Vidyalankar and Vidyasagar were known to me as I had enquired about them earlier. I said Vidyalankar and Vidyasagar would be better over the other. He gave my message to his friend. Silence. Waves still found their way to the shore, one by one...
Suddenly I spoke up, "It's strange, isn't it, that we care too much about the coaching institute to join, rather asking about a school?" I sensed a debate getting birth. My mum agreed to it. My dad too. But then later they gave an explanation, "These two years are crucial, considering Indian education system. You cannot let them go easily as your future depends on how good you do now. And then, we aren't so majestic that we live on our elders money. Rather it doesn't suit our ethics that we enjoy our elders hard-earned money but become independent." But I had a doubt, "Then why not the schools? These institutes have cleverly identified the need, or the desperateness of the parents of Indian students. And then again population comes into role! So many students and so little seats! It's perfectly true that, having resources, none will leave any stone unturned so as to fix a seat in the top institutes of the country." My dad said," Yea, you're true, but then who wants to be poor? Parents commit a mistake here." Mum said, "Yes that's right, we parents mistake here. Many invest so much into coaching institutes that they forget about the education which lies beyond this period." I recalled Chetan Bhagat's Revolution 2020, Gopal's dad spends all his savings onto a coaching institute at Kota, hoping he gets a seat in IITs. The night went long, I wished to talk more. We hit more topics, very far from this small one. Waves now silently were conquering the shore ahead. The sand was wet now. My mind had already soaked into the thought, I was conquering many ideas, it was a high tide approaching...
The problem at hand was very big one. Coaching institutes had landed in almost all competitive areas of education; the most evident one being engineering entrance, as engineering still remains among the most preferred side. The success of coaching institutes meant a huge failure of our +2 schooling system. Somewhere a loop hole was so big that we had started emphasising coachings more than schools. I remember an article I read regarding the coaching business in India. The research says that the industry has profits in some billion dollars, including just those institutes which are recognized. The ones owned by an individual, conducted at home remain unnoticed. Anyone who thinks is capable of teaching opens an institute. It's interesting to see how one problem is superimposed on other, when coaching institutes find scarcity of place! Then classes are opened in places meant for shops, markets. The building which collapsed in Thane had a coaching institute too! So what are we losing when we are fixing a seat into the best colleges, which would mean a good job in the future? The answer lies within...
The 'fees' demanded by these institutes are overwhelming. Irony lies in the fact that we are ready to pay them lakhs of rupees but hit stones and conduct strikes when our schools declare a fee hike! I am not in favour of huge fee hikes at schools, but the equality of rage towards coaching institutes goes missing. Moreover, there is no basis on which institutes ask for such a big amount. They say look at our results. We fly in air when we see posters showing AIRs in top ten or hundred, proud to be a part of an institute which produces quality students. We so give so much importance to them that we keep our schools aside. Coaching seems a gateway to IITs. Many times, these institutes tend to break laws by building fake castles in air. Even many school teachers have now hopped into this industry. It is expected that schools must stress upon preventing students from joining tuitions, but this situation invites the problem. This problem is a statistical one. What further itches is its emotional and social impact.
India has been so much in the so-called developmental era that struggle has remained a part of every Indian's life right from the Independence. The only solution one finds out of this struggle is escape. Many try to earn more and have a healthy lifestyle. So in a way, in India, we have mechanised our life, leaving no time for the country, the people, the social issues, nothing. And then these coaching institutes have become our travel agents, assuring us best service. And what an agent does not forget is commission! So do the institutes! The two years of our life, get stolen. The time when we are meant to build social, economical ideas for the betterment of the country, we sit in a coaching institute, learning to secure a high rank. What I mean to convey through this article is not complete isolation from coachings, but prevention of complete dependency and devotion to coachings. Guys, it's impossible to live without a coaching, I know. Today there are coachings even for small kids! Somewhere it roots to very basic problems in our society. Time for us to identify them. Decide cautiously, two years of life do matter. Atlast, it is you who mark your future, achieve it yourself...
On the day of Gudi Padwa, my dad invited his friends home, he hadn't met them for months! A small amount of snack was arranged- Samosas and Jalebis. Guests arrived, beautiful evening it was; humorous and full of joy. The evening went by, soon. Our stomachs were filled so mum decided not to make dinner and we decided to go to the beach that night. House was a bit far from the beach and thus we needed a transport. My dad's friend had left his motorcycle, in case we needed it. And yes we did! I drove my dad and then mum and bro in two trips. It was low tide then, the beach had become dirty due to the things that had washed off to the shore. Mosquitos enjoyed blood. We sat on a bench, me, mum and dad. My bro and cousin went on the sand to play. Waves enjoyed their way to the shore, one by one. Just then my father's phone rang. It was his friend. It had been a bit of practice now, that people enquired about schools to join, streams to opt and other vital decisions to take, to me. But then one more question was becoming more frequent now. My dad held the call and asked me,
"His brother's son has just given Class 10 board examinations. Now he wishes to study science further and then do engineering. Which coaching class is the best among these- Quality Circle, Vidyasagar or Vidyalankar?"
I had seen Quality Circle's board one day walking home from my own coaching institute. Vidyalankar and Vidyasagar were known to me as I had enquired about them earlier. I said Vidyalankar and Vidyasagar would be better over the other. He gave my message to his friend. Silence. Waves still found their way to the shore, one by one...
Suddenly I spoke up, "It's strange, isn't it, that we care too much about the coaching institute to join, rather asking about a school?" I sensed a debate getting birth. My mum agreed to it. My dad too. But then later they gave an explanation, "These two years are crucial, considering Indian education system. You cannot let them go easily as your future depends on how good you do now. And then, we aren't so majestic that we live on our elders money. Rather it doesn't suit our ethics that we enjoy our elders hard-earned money but become independent." But I had a doubt, "Then why not the schools? These institutes have cleverly identified the need, or the desperateness of the parents of Indian students. And then again population comes into role! So many students and so little seats! It's perfectly true that, having resources, none will leave any stone unturned so as to fix a seat in the top institutes of the country." My dad said," Yea, you're true, but then who wants to be poor? Parents commit a mistake here." Mum said, "Yes that's right, we parents mistake here. Many invest so much into coaching institutes that they forget about the education which lies beyond this period." I recalled Chetan Bhagat's Revolution 2020, Gopal's dad spends all his savings onto a coaching institute at Kota, hoping he gets a seat in IITs. The night went long, I wished to talk more. We hit more topics, very far from this small one. Waves now silently were conquering the shore ahead. The sand was wet now. My mind had already soaked into the thought, I was conquering many ideas, it was a high tide approaching...
The problem at hand was very big one. Coaching institutes had landed in almost all competitive areas of education; the most evident one being engineering entrance, as engineering still remains among the most preferred side. The success of coaching institutes meant a huge failure of our +2 schooling system. Somewhere a loop hole was so big that we had started emphasising coachings more than schools. I remember an article I read regarding the coaching business in India. The research says that the industry has profits in some billion dollars, including just those institutes which are recognized. The ones owned by an individual, conducted at home remain unnoticed. Anyone who thinks is capable of teaching opens an institute. It's interesting to see how one problem is superimposed on other, when coaching institutes find scarcity of place! Then classes are opened in places meant for shops, markets. The building which collapsed in Thane had a coaching institute too! So what are we losing when we are fixing a seat into the best colleges, which would mean a good job in the future? The answer lies within...
 |
| Competition to the top..none leaves no stone unturned |
The 'fees' demanded by these institutes are overwhelming. Irony lies in the fact that we are ready to pay them lakhs of rupees but hit stones and conduct strikes when our schools declare a fee hike! I am not in favour of huge fee hikes at schools, but the equality of rage towards coaching institutes goes missing. Moreover, there is no basis on which institutes ask for such a big amount. They say look at our results. We fly in air when we see posters showing AIRs in top ten or hundred, proud to be a part of an institute which produces quality students. We so give so much importance to them that we keep our schools aside. Coaching seems a gateway to IITs. Many times, these institutes tend to break laws by building fake castles in air. Even many school teachers have now hopped into this industry. It is expected that schools must stress upon preventing students from joining tuitions, but this situation invites the problem. This problem is a statistical one. What further itches is its emotional and social impact.
India has been so much in the so-called developmental era that struggle has remained a part of every Indian's life right from the Independence. The only solution one finds out of this struggle is escape. Many try to earn more and have a healthy lifestyle. So in a way, in India, we have mechanised our life, leaving no time for the country, the people, the social issues, nothing. And then these coaching institutes have become our travel agents, assuring us best service. And what an agent does not forget is commission! So do the institutes! The two years of our life, get stolen. The time when we are meant to build social, economical ideas for the betterment of the country, we sit in a coaching institute, learning to secure a high rank. What I mean to convey through this article is not complete isolation from coachings, but prevention of complete dependency and devotion to coachings. Guys, it's impossible to live without a coaching, I know. Today there are coachings even for small kids! Somewhere it roots to very basic problems in our society. Time for us to identify them. Decide cautiously, two years of life do matter. Atlast, it is you who mark your future, achieve it yourself...
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