Lack of quality syllabus gives way to more coaching centres

A parliamentary committee report on issues related to education has observed that the syllabus that children are taught in schools, especially in senior classes, is not capable of getting them through in a competitive exam. 

The committee that examined various aspects related to school education and higher education observed that the syllabus taught in higher secondary classes is not in consonance with various competitive exams that the students have to go through once they pass out of school and seek admission in institutions of higher learning. The report also adds that this disconnect is giving way to ‘mushrooming of coaching centres in the country’.

DNA found out that the school syllabus is indeed not helping students to get through entrance examinations for engineering and medical colleges. 

In a class of 60 students in any reputed engineering/medical institutions, it was found that only one or two students got through the entrance exam through self-study; the rest had to take help of a coaching class. All the current students and former students agreed on the fact that the method of teaching and the syllabus in schools do not prepare them for competitive exams. 

Shivam Parashar, a student of IIT Roorkee, is one of the only two students in his batch of 60 who cleared IIT through self-study in 2014. “I chose not to enroll myself in a coaching class and prepared for IIT on my own. I read material from the Internet and took up online tutorials to prepare for entrance exams. But my school curriculum could not play a role in my preparation. One can clear JEE mains by relying on school curriculum but not advanced level and it’s necessary to clear advanced level to get admission in IITs,” says Shivam. 

Another IITian, Sourav Dutta, who passed out six years ago — the only one in a batch of 70 students to come through self-study, explains, “Schools focus more on holistic learning, they cannot teach students how to clear an entrance examination. When I did self preparation, I had to take online tutorials to make myself ready for the competitive exams.” 

Students who are currently in school also feel that the school syllabus does not come in handy for them for entrance exam preparation. “In school, teachers mostly focus on board examination marks and we have to cram up the syllabus to get more marks in exams, whereas, to clear an entrance exam, we need to have clarity on basic concepts of maths, physics and other science subjects. I am studying in a coaching institute because I aspire to be in a good engineering institute,” says a Class XII student studying a government school in Delhi. 

“The disconnect could not be more illustrated than the fact that the number of coaching centres mushrooming across the country is becoming a purely commercial venture, which would ultimately harm the future generation,” the report says. It also adds that the syllabi should reflect the future needs. 

However, officials in NCERT, the government body that designs syllabus for schools feels that there is no need to make any changes in the syllabi as the school syllabi is made to cater to all kinds of students and not just those who want to appear for competitive exams. 

“We design the syllabus in a way that students get comprehensive knowledge about the subject, whereas entrance examinations test them on their capability to answer questions based on their objective skills. Tests are made for addressing needs of just one section of students whereas we design the syllabus to address everyone,” said a senior official in NCERT.