by Dr Ashraf Zainabi
Degrees are churned out in abundance, yet job readiness remains elusive. This gulf between academic instruction and the demands of the workforce fuels a crisis of youth unemployment and underemployment, intensifying a demographic imbalance with potentially grave socio-economic implications.
In recent years, the question of whether India’s formal education system has reached an impasse has gained increasing relevance. Once regarded as a vehicle for social mobility and national development, the system now appears encumbered by structural failures, misplaced priorities, and a growing reliance on parallel networks such as coaching centres.
The rapid expansion of these institutions, coupled with the persistent underperformance of schools and colleges, indicates a deeper crisis, one that concerns not only the quality of education but also its underlying purpose.
A central paradox defines this predicament. India possesses the world’s largest youth population, and the demand for quality education has never been more pronounced. Yet, the very system tasked with fulfilling this aspiration is faltering.
The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) reveals enduring deficiencies in foundational literacy and numeracy, particularly in government schools. In 2022, the report observed that only one in five Class III students could read at the level expected of Class II.
Dropout rates at the secondary level remain high, especially among students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Basic infrastructure is often lacking, qualified teachers are in short supply, and the apparatus for teacher training is largely ineffective.
The problem is further aggravated by the system’s fixation on rote learning and standardised examinations. The board exam regime, which determines the academic trajectory of millions of students, prioritises memorisation over comprehension, obedience over inquiry, and conformity over originality.
As a result, classroom learning has become a perfunctory routine, where students are coached to clear tests rather than to grasp substantive knowledge. This restricted approach produces learners who may perform well on paper but often lack essential life skills, critical faculties, and emotional maturity.
Into this void has stepped the private coaching industry, which has grown into a dominant force. What once served as supplementary instruction has now assumed the role of the principal pathway for those aiming to secure admission to elite institutions.
In Kota, Rajasthan, the heart of India’s coaching industry, lakhs of students gather each year with a single objective: to clear the IIT-JEE or NEET examinations. What began as a localised, informal network has grown into a sprawling enterprise valued at over ₹58,000 crore, expanding at a rate of 15 per cent each year.
Almost every urban Indian household with a school-going child finds itself involved in this system in some capacity. Rural areas are following suit, often forcing families into financial hardship to keep pace with this new norm.
The most troubling aspect is not the scale but the logic that sustains it. Coaching centres have flourished not because they offer superior teaching methods or care deeply about students, but because the formal education system no longer inspires confidence. Schools and colleges are no longer trusted to prepare students adequately for entrance exams or to instil even basic competence. Coaching institutes, armed with relentless advertising, exhaustive test series, and rank-oriented strategies, have come to define the ambitions of an entire generation. Education has been mechanised, with success measured by rank and failure leaving lasting psychological wounds.
The welfare of students caught in this unforgiving cycle is routinely overlooked. Instances of burnout, depression, and suicide have become common among those enrolled in coaching hubs such as Kota. In 2023 alone, over 25 students reportedly died by suicide in the city. While local authorities have introduced counselling and helplines, these measures fail to confront the deeper malaise: a system that prizes results above humanity. A child’s value is too often reduced to a percentile, and the natural curiosity of learning gives way to persistent fear and anxiety.
If schools are failing, why has there been so little effort to reform them? The answer lies partly in institutional neglect. Although education budgets appear substantial in absolute terms, funds are frequently misused or remain unspent. Many government schools are deprived of essentials such as clean toilets, potable water, and access to digital tools. Teachers, particularly in rural areas, are burdened with administrative tasks unrelated to education and seldom receive updated training in modern pedagogy.
Private schools, once regarded as a refuge for the middle class, have increasingly turned into profit-driven ventures with limited concern for student welfare. Thousands have emerged across districts, yet the quality they offer is inconsistent and access remains inequitable.
The higher education sector, too, remains weighed down by structural deficiencies. While institutions such as the IITs and IIMs continue to draw national and international recognition, the bulk of Indian universities and colleges fall short of delivering education that is either relevant or employable. A 2024 report by NASSCOM revealed that more than 70 per cent of Indian engineering graduates are unfit for roles in the core sector, primarily due to inadequate practical training and limited exposure.
Degrees are churned out in abundance, yet job readiness remains elusive. This gulf between academic instruction and the demands of the workforce fuels a crisis of youth unemployment and underemployment, intensifying a demographic imbalance with potentially grave socio-economic implications.
There have been attempts to introduce reform. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 outlines sweeping changes, proposing a shift towards multidisciplinary learning, prioritisation of foundational literacy, and instruction in the mother tongue up to Class V.
However, implementation has remained inconsistent. There is no coherent plan to revive deteriorating public schools, provide large-scale training for teachers, or dismantle the dominance of examinations and coaching centres. Bureaucratic inertia, combined with superficial political gestures, has confined ambitious reforms largely to policy documents.
This is not to suggest that progress is absent. In different parts of the country, a few institutions stand out. Government schools in Delhi, Odisha, and Kerala have shown what can be achieved when leadership is responsive, funding sufficient, and communities are engaged.
Programmes such as Atal Tinkering Labs and hands-on learning initiatives are beginning to gain ground. Technology, if applied judiciously, could help bridge disparities in access and quality. Yet these instances remain isolated.
There is now a critical need to redefine what education in India is meant to accomplish. The focus must shift from numerical achievements to the cultivation of environments that encourage curiosity, emotional maturity, and civic engagement.
The ambition should be to create a system that earns public trust, one that does not drive students towards private tuition as a matter of necessity. Achieving this would require comprehensive structural reform, freeing school governance from bureaucratic constraints, making institutions answerable for learning outcomes, rewarding pedagogical innovation, and placing student welfare at the heart of educational planning.
Equally necessary is a societal shift in expectations. Success must not hinge on a single examination or institution. Parents, educators, and policymakers must challenge the belief that coaching-based performance defines merit. Education should unlock the full spectrum of human potential, intellectual, emotional, artistic, and moral.
To restore the authority of formal education, decisive national action is imperative. The time has come to affirm its worth. Let us turn away from the coaching industry’s grip. This change could begin by selecting IAS, IPS, professors, engineers, and other public servants solely from those educated through formal channels. Let those trained by coaching centres be disqualified. Let us show the resolve to pursue this transformative path.
(The author is a teacher and researcher. Ideas are personal.)
