This has always been a constant thought in my mind. Why should coaching classes exist only for certain streams or competitive exams only? Why would coaching classes be centered around cracking the medical or engineering entrance exams or law and civil services? There is a list of myriad other technical and competitive exam coaching that exists in India. But what’s most concerning for me is how a student who wishes to pursue psychology or let’s say public policy or even business administration from a top university is left with very little choice when it comes to coaching.
Put simply, academic coaching allows students to get clarity about the subject of their choice and how they can achieve their goals. It allows a student to have a clearly-defined strategy to pursue academic excellence in the path to their dream goals. Coaching centres support students through learning strategies that make them aware of the subject. Besides academic rigour, a tutor can help with time management, organisational skills, and self-regulation. All of these help in getting a student nearer to their goal.
So why should such academic excellence or guidance be reserved for certain subjects only?
Coaching also allows a student to gain perspective about their choice of subject and in the long run decide the value that a subject holds in their careers. It’s understandable why medical or engineering would need coaching. But that in no way should dilute the significance of other equally important subjects like political science or economics. For example, to study Public Policy in an Ivy League college, a student has to start early. The foundation for the stream should begin at the high school level and there should be coaching institutions that offer guidance for the same.
The only argument that I wish to make here is that medical, non-medical, law, commerce, and humanities should all have the same kind of options available when it comes to coaching. Why should it only be restricted to a certain “crème de la crème” of subjects?
