By D N Singh
Odisha: Witnessing children carrying the bloated school bags early in the mornings going to schools and the same children walking to various coaching centers post noon manifest a mixed picture of the fundamentals and the hybrid education pattern that has been a craze these days.
That keeps many wondering where the education model is heading.
In Odisha also there are hundreds of such coaching centers running in an unbridled pattern as guidelines of the Union government have hardly been in force. Even talking about the Centre also there are en-number of coaching centers in Delhi itself that are often run by their own rules.
Anyway, how relevant are these coaching centers either in Bhubaneswar or in the state as well.
Now, the crux of the issue is, are the coaching centers sugar coated multi-core industries being fostered by the State for a profit-driven agenda that always remains sugar-coated to exploit the aspiration of students and parents?
Everywhere there is a flooding of such centers in Odisha, in every nook and corner whereas, experts feel, that the dark-underbelly of the coaching industry remains in real darkness.
While critics also tag them as booming business model, built on selling success stories to those who look at them from outside.
In Odisha also there have been charges of fraud and financial coercions by some through make-believe stories of promotions and advertise mental overdrives but on the ground these stories do not reflect in reality.
Bhubaneswar being the capital city, here there is a relentless pursuit of profit fostering a culture of competition, stress, and inequality, reducing students to mere customers whose dreams are exploited to fuel the industry’s bottom line.
Hundreds of such coaching outfits in Odisha keep mushrooming and the State government doesn’t even know their exact number , let alone the guidelines for student’s welfare. In this rat race the parents hardly realize to what extent they are being financially bamboozled in the name of jobs and placements etc.
No learning but percentage
The consequences of this flawed system are profound. An entire generation of students is being conditioned to equate success with high test scores, often achieved through rote learning rather than genuine understanding.
One cannot dismiss the alleged nexus between the educational institutions, right from schools onwards conniving with such centers to promote a mutual interest.
Suspecting alleged irregularities the Center has issued a set of guidelines for regulations to arrest the wrongs in all states etc. But little efforts go into an exercise of a scrutiny by the authorities at the top.
The coaching industry, with its polished narratives of success, may continue to thrive, but the time has come for us to look beyond the glamour.
On the other hand, reportedly the School and Mass education department is of the view that it will scrutinize or examine for the final model from the Union and then will undertake required measures.
