Where there's a coaching class, there's hope

Summer break? You must be joking, say students who will be facing their Class 12 boards or Second PUC examinations next year as they rush from one coaching class to the next. A typical day in their life is no different from that of a CEO’s as they spend anywhere between 10-15 hours slogging — answering assignments, writing tests and taking up mock examinations.

The long and arduous trek towards the goal — top scores in the boards and various entrance tests — has begun in right earnest for most. Some high profile schools take the onus of selecting the cream of their students and training them while some parents go the extra mile to ensure that their son or daughter gets that coveted seat in an engineering/ medical college.

Dheeraj Kumar, who hails from Londa in North Karnataka, was sent to live in a hostel in Bangalore right from his high school days in preparation for the time when he would have to get into one of the best medical schools in the country.

His father, Mohan Kumar, a store manager, admits that he paid a steep price — emotionally and financially — during the years that the boy was away from home but the fact that Dheeraj bagged a medical seat in Bangalore was “sweet reward”.

Avishkar Patel, whose aim was to gain admission into IIT, started attending BASE tuitions right after his Class 10 examinations. “Sacrificing my summer holidays for several years was worth it because I bagged a seat in IIT Kanpur,” he says.

A recent study of CET results revealed that the proportion of rural students making it to professional courses is steadily on the rise since 2007 though the same cannot be said of other entrance tests.

Chandrika Sethia, a happy-go-lucky girl whose life seemed to revolve around clothes and movies, confessed that she was “bullied into attending coaching classes” by her parents, but she thanks them for goading her because she got a seat in a prestigious medical college.

Students and their parents admit that they do not want to risk “failure” and therefore, sign up for coaching classes, forking out huge sums of money.

“Such classes are necessary multi vitamins to ensure the success of my child,” quips a parent, whose son has appeared for the CET this year.

Qualified professionals, educated housewives and even retired teachers find it fulfilling and rewarding to set up coaching classes.

Like Sarith Kumar, an engineer who runs his own business and also conducts Mathematics classes for Class 12 students. “The classes help me reconnect with my favourite subject and also bring in some extra money which is welcome,” he says.

Tuition fees vary depending on what the students are being coached for and by whom. While CET and IIT-JEE tuition centres have the maximum number of students who register months ahead thanks to the reputation of the institute and the results, there are numerous fledgling institutes that use every trick in the bag to attract students.
Shrikantaiah, who takes Physics tuitions for Class 12 students, says: ‘Sukharthinaha kutho vidya, vidyatarthinaha kutho sukham?’

When translated, it means a pleasure-seeking person cannot acquire knowledge and a person seeking education cannot even think about pleasure.”  Wiser words haven’t been spoken!