Coaching centres, students unhappy with Kapil Sibal

The Minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal, recently emphasised the need to reduce the role played by coaching centres in ensuring a student’s success in competitive exams like the IIT- JEE and other tests for entry to various professional courses.

However, Sibal’s remarks have disappointed not only the coaching centres but also the aspirants. According to the aspirants, the IIT- Joint Entrance Exam (IIT-JEE) has always been among the toughest competitive exams held in the country and it should not be meddled with.

Anshul Kumar, an IIT aspirant told DNA, “I have been preparing for JEE since I joined 11th grade. The exam is already the toughest one to crack. Why would Sibal think that we need more hurdles to cross before we even got a chance to crack it?” The HRD minister’s talk about discouraging coaching centres from mushrooming is being termed a populist move.

“Coaching centres exist to train students in various subjects because schools fail to do so. Before blaming coaching centres, the reason behind students seeking out such help needs to be examined. Nearly three lakh students write IIT-JEE, only 8,000 or so qualify. The supply-demand is stupidly skewed and this mismatch has to be rectified,” said Gautam Puri, vice-chairman, Career Launcher, an educational training company.

Coaching centre authorities clarify that students seek help because they want to qualify for such exams at any cost. “Boards don’t prepare students in fundamental concepts on which students are tested in IIT-JEE. At schools or colleges, students are learning by rote which won’t help them when attempting such a competitive exam. Students aspiring to join IITs have to have better training,” said

Purushottam BG, head of planning, BASE, an education training firm. Aspirants feel that they are not unnecessarily flocking to coaching classes, but doing so to stay at the top of the game.

“I joined a college which offers IIT-JEE integrated PU course. I have been scoring good marks in subjects, but I felt I needed some extra guidance when it came to training for these competitive exams,” said Akshay M, an IIT-JEE aspirant.