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From Kota to Sikar: Coaching hubs are migrating but so is pressure

"Why are they dying only in Kota?" asked the Supreme Court of India not too long ago while hearing the suicide case of yet another student in the cases of student suicides have been reported from Kota so far in obsession with competitive exams has given rise to coaching hubs like Kota in Rajasthan, Mukherjee Nagar and Rajinder Nagar in Delhi, and many These hubs have become synonymous with ambition, hard work, and unfortunately, immense pressure. They guarantee success in highly coveted exams like IIT-JEE, NEET, and recent events such as the increasing suicide rates and the worsening living conditions in these areas have brought about a change in the attitude of both students and parents. India Today Image THE ONES WHO GET LEFT BEHINDKota has been the go-to place for the preparation of competitive exams for decades. Coaching institutes lining the streets proudly put up posters of toppers and their success what happens to the ones that are not on the posters, the ones who get 'left behind'?The city has become a sample of this toxic culture: one that equates 'failure' with disgrace and offers little mental Kota is under the spotlight, Sikar in Rajasthan is emerging as the new 'saviour'. It seems to be a less hectic, less noisy raises yet another question -- does this change anything? And the answer remains the same as always-no, it does NAGAR HAS ITS OWN PROBLEMSMukherjee Nagar in Delhi suffers from its own set of live in overcrowded accommodations, while paying a fortune for them as landlords overcharge for even the smallest rooms and places often have no fire safety and students must also deal with unhygienic water and sanitation. And of course-the polluted Delhi air that is thick with preparation is no longer confined to metros like Delhi or Mumbai. Tier-II and III cities such as Bhopal, Indore, Patna, and Dehradun are also emerging as strong IAS hubs. India Today Image IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY?All this forces us to rethink whether these centres really are a necessity or just a tradition that we carry from a bygone truth is, we don't need these hubs. They are a result of an outdated system that profits from negligence in school drive towards coaching has turned into a culture -- one where students are expected to move out of their homes, away from their families, put their lives on hold and survive in pressure-cooker isn't learning or education, this is a race. And in a race where lakhs of students compete for a few thousand seats, we forget to ask: at what cost?Students are made to believe that this is the only way. That suffering is the only way to THE SYSTEM, NOT JUST THE SYMPTOMSIf we truly want to make a change, we need to shift the focus from treating the symptoms to, for once, actually trying to fix the need to start by understanding that coaching cannot be a replacement for schools. There is a need for an updated school system with not just better-trained teachers but also more interactive ways of recent years, we have seen many examples of students cracking tough exams like IIT-JEE, NEET, even UPSC through a world where the internet is so easily accessible, knowledge is just a click free lectures on YouTube, online mock tests to government platforms like SWAYAM and NPTEL -- high-quality study material is readily available. AI-generated image Many toppers now openly admit that they prepared through online videos, followed a proper timetable at home and avoided stress and distraction to help focus on their shift is especially empowering for students from economically weaker with just a stable internet connection, a basic smartphone or a laptop, they can prepare for these exams without having to pay a ISN'T ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALLIt is also crucial to understand that not every child needs to be a doctor, engineer or a civil servant. Parents should introduce their children to a range of career options early on in life, based on their strengths and is time to stop glorifying coaching hubs and to work on a better system. Better schools, supportive teachers and updated exam should never come at the cost of mental health, childhood, or life.-Article by Arima Singh- EndsMust Watch