Forget college, join coaching class’

HC-Appointed Panel Feels This Is Possible Once Coaching Classes Are Regulated

Hemali Chhapia | TNN

Mumbai: Attending college may soon be passe. Instead you could go to a coaching class. The two have always been mutually exclusive but a Bombay high court-appointed committee feels, once coaching classes are regulated by the government, students can opt for either.

The report, submitted to the high court, read: “Every year approved colleges are finding it difficult to accommodate students. Incentives must be given to classes which comply with the conditions. Students enrolled in approved coaching classes need not enrol once again in a college.’’

The committee, comprising several top college principals and chaired by former Yashwantrao Chavan Open University vice-chancellor Ashok Pradhan, was set up after the state refused to draft any rules to regulate coaching classes. The panel concluded that the coaching industry survived and flourished as the education system had “deteriorated’’ and students had reaffirmed their faith in coaching academies.

“Most students are willing to pay coaching classes but are unwilling to pay more tuition fees (in schools and colleges). This is because parents are not assured of the quality of inputs and the outcome,’’ the committee members observed. “If school- and college-level education is drastically improved there is a possibility of reduction of dependence on coaching classes.’’

But the fact that coaching classes have become a parallel system, said one of the panel members, called for regulations. The Pradhan Committee states that the regulatory body for coaching classes should be quasi-judicial in nature and its composition should change every three years.

A slew of suggestions given by the committee for classes include setting aside a quota for economically weak students, undertaking regular faculty development training, charging fees as stipulated by the regulatory body, setting up infrastructure and restricting the size of classes to the number prescribed in rules and even getting an ISO certification (see box).

The Maharashtra Coaching Class Owners’ Association welcomed all the committee’s suggestions except the fee-control idea, association secretary Narendra Bambwani said. “Most of our teachers are well-qualified. But rules for those who have been teaching for years but don’t have the necessary qualifications should be relaxed. Similarly, registration fee should be reasonable as there are so many classes in the slums too. Lastly, there should be time to make the transition,’’ he added.

The state iterated its stand on Thursday that it did not want to regulate coaching classes. The Bombay high court will take up the Pradhan Committee report some time next week before taking a final decision.

Every day lakhs of students take a call on whether to attend class or land up in college for attendance. Soon, that dilemma may end.

POINT-COUNTERPOINT
INFRASTRUCTURE
The panel has come up with recommendations for the size of a classroom for a batch of 50 who will attend a class that will go on for three hours. However not all classes have designated space for parking, library, computer center and labs. The panels states that all these should be provided.

What the coaching class association states: Most big classes have reading halls and computer labs and libraries. But we do not offer too much parking space as most students come from the neighbourhood.

TEACHERS’ QUALIFICATIONS

Panel | Those teaching primary schoolstudents (till class IV) should have completed their HSC; those who teach secondary schoolkids must have completed their graduation.

Coaching association | Rules for those who have been teaching for years but don’t have the necessary qualifications should be relaxed.

Panel | Teachers must sign a bond declaring that they do not teach in any school or college.

Coaching association | How can we prevent them from working somewhere else? They work in a college in the morning and they come here in evening.

Panel | At least 60-70% of the income made from collecting fees must be spent on teachers’ salary.

Coaching association | We pay teachers a lot better that schools and colleges.