Shifting Focus from Board Exams To CUET, JEE & NEET Is Leading to Increased Focus on Coaching & Open Schools

The governments decision to focus on entrance exams (such as CUET, JEE & NEET) has led to the mushrooming of specialized coaching institutes and open schools across the country. Parents feel that students should be enrolled in institutes where they can be trained for the exam of their choice. With major universities across the country now focused on an entrance test (CUET being the latest addition for major universities such as DU, JNU, AU and many more) the trend serves as a tail wind for the already growing test preparation market in the country. Special schools allow students to dedicatedly focus on an entrance exam without allocating much time to the traditional course / boards syllabus (this is similar to the open schools which are prevalent in major coaching hubs such as Kota & Andhra Pradesh)

The CUET which now serves as a major entrance exam for undergraduate admissions into key central universities, tries to solve a major problem in the Indian education system – the reliance on board exams with unnaturally high cut-offs. The solution however replaces the old problem with a new one – private coaching / open schools which may end up replacing the traditional institutions in the country. Major schools across the country have raised this issue and have pointed out that this may hamper the all-round development of students and place their pedagogy in the hands of private bodies which are profit driven.

Top educators are also criticising the governments decision to create so many entrance exams. They feel that the overall education system in the country will become like a “Kota Factory”. This development also comes at a time when post pandemic education needs to be optimized for cost and parents are increasingly focused / worried about efficient allocation of their education budget towards a bright future for their children