Parliamentary panel cracks whip at college-coaching institute ‘nexus’, recommends derecognition
Education

Parliamentary panel cracks whip at college-coaching institute ‘nexus’, recommends derecognition

The panel in a report made public Monday made observations & recommendations related to exam reforms, accreditation, research & academic environment in higher education institutions.

   
Representational image of students at a coaching centre | Commons

Representational image of students at a coaching centre | Commons

New Delhi: Coming down heavily on colleges that take help from coaching institutes to improve their students’ results, a parliamentary panel recommended to the government to cancel recognition of such colleges, calling the association an “unholy nexus”.

The Department related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, headed by Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahasrabudhe, in its report made public Monday, made many observations and recommendations related to exam reforms, accreditation, research and academic environment in higher education institutions.

This is the 341st report of the committee on the subject “Review of education standards, accreditation process, research, examination reforms and academic environment in Deemed/Private Universities/other Higher Education Institutions”.

The panel came down heavily on the growing trend of colleges associating with coaching institutes in “certain states”. It said that it is an “unholy nexus” between colleges and coaching institutes which has made the learning process a “farce”.

“The Committee recommends that the Government, in coordination with State Governments, must work out mechanisms to curb such trends and punish such institutions by derecognizing them,” read the report.

Among other recommendations, the committee asked the government to look at shortening recruitment time for faculty members.

It also said that universities should on an “experimental basis” start evaluation of their teachers through peers and students.


Also read: UGC wants universities to offer up to 40% of courses online. Professors don’t see the point


‘Set up study group to assess ground realities’

As recently as May this year, three Delhi University colleges were found offering various coaching classes to its students, in association with private institutes. While Ramanujan College in DU was offering coaching for Common University Entrance Test (CUET), Hansraj College and Swami Shraddhanand College were offering IAS coaching in association with private coaching institutes.

Junior colleges — offering post secondary, or classes 11 and 12, education — associating with coaching institutes is a very common trend in Kota, Rajasthan, the coaching hub of India. Here, students attend the coaching classes full time and go to junior college only to write exams and for practicals. Attendance is not mandatory in such colleges.

It is this “nexus” that the panel was referring to in its report. It added that the government should also set up a study group to assess the ground realities.

The committee also noted that “many young students are not attracted towards the teaching profession since the recruitment process is quite prolonged with many procedural formalities” and recommended that “The Department of Higher Education may consider some reforms to shorten the time”.

On the subject of evaluating teachers by peers and students, the committee in its report said, “At least on an experimental basis a mechanism for ensuring the accountability and performance of faculties in the universities and colleges should be put in place similar to that of foreign universities where the performance of college professors/ teachers is evaluated by their peers and students.”

(Edited by Poulomi Banejee)


Also read: To learn ‘best practices’, govt curriculum panel meets Ramakrishna Mission, Alim Madrasah, others