Parents in Rajasthan want early coaching enrolment for their children, says study
A new study on the parents’ desire to send their children for coaching and the trends in the coaching industry have revealed a strong preference for early coaching
Students after attending the classes with the backdrop of hostels and coaching institutes at Kota in Rajasthan. File.
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
A significant 64% of parents in Rajasthan want an early enrolment of their children in coaching institutes in the belief that it would improve their academic performance. However, the growing reliance on coaching to supplement formal education may adversely affect the State government’s efforts to regulate coaching centres.
A new study on the parents’ desire to send their children for coaching and the trends in the coaching industry have revealed a strong preference for early coaching, with 64% of parents expressing the wish for their children to start coaching before they reach Class IX. The data shows that 38.5% of children began coaching between VI and VIII classes and nearly 30% started as early as Class I to III.
Should coaching be restricted to those above 16 years?
The survey was conducted by Koan Advisory Group, a New Delhi-based public policy consulting institution, which analysed the responses of 1,060 parents from five cities in Rajasthan – Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, and Bikaner – highlighting their preference for coaching. Many of the parents advocated for enrolment by as early as middle school.
The findings came amid the guidelines for regulation of coaching centres, issued by the State government’s Department of Higher Education earlier this year, and the draft Rajasthan Coaching Centre (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2024, released in July, setting a minimum age limit of 16 years for enrolment.
The draft Bill has proposed a two-tier administrative system for coaching centres, mandatory registration with the district authorities, limiting the study duration to five hours a day, prohibiting classes during school hours, and setting up grievance redressal cells at district and block levels. The Bill also imposes a penalty of ₹25,000 on institutes violating the guidelines.
Koan Advisory Group’s founder-partner Vivan Sharan said on Thursday that the study had highlighted the importance of parental involvement in educational rule-making. “Any changes to education regulations should be backed by thorough empirical evaluation and impact assessment to ensure that they effectively address the issues without unintended consequences,” Mr. Sharan said.
The study also revealed a direct correlation between the income of parents and their inclination toward private tutoring. While 39% of parents opted for one-on-one tuition, 27% chose group tuition, and 34% preferred coaching institutions.
As the Higher Education Department’s guidelines as well as the draft Bill have barred children below 16 years from enrolling in coaching centres, this may contradict parental expectations and deny children the perceived benefits of early coaching, according to the study.
The study points out that 56.7% of parents emphasised the need for career counselling, and 52% prioritised better access to tutors as important factors in a child’s education. Besides, 59.25% of parents expressed high satisfaction with coaching classes, while 72.9% believed that coaching would improve their children’s job prospects and future opportunities.
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