Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia addressed the root cause behind the flourishing of coaching institutes in India. In his address, he talked about how to tackle the coaching industry and asked the stakeholders in the education field to work towards bridging the gap between what schools teach and what the colleges want.

He said there was a need to make the school system dynamic to prevent the need of coaching. Sisodia said, “Our school education system is very static and its outcome is not in sync with the expectation of the colleges. The difference is being sought to be filled through coaching, which has grown over the years. It is a burden on the students because as well as attending school they also have to go for coaching.”

Sisodia asked the university vice-chancellors, college principals and teachers to deliberate on the matter and find means to bridge the gap. “There is a need to make the school system dynamic so that there is no requirement for coaching institutes,” he said.

The event also featured a discussion session on the New Education Policy (NEP). The participants on the panel highlighted the need to focus on skill creation and to make apprenticeship a mandatory part of education at the undergraduate level. Professor S. K. Mehrotra, economics teacher at Jawaharlal Nehru University, pointed out how less than 5% ofthe student opted for vocational education after secondary school in India. “In China, more than 50% are streamed into vocational education,” he said.

Jayant Krishna, senior fellow, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC, noted appreciatively that NEP made the study of one vocational subject compulsory for classes XI and XII. “The policy, however, does not mention apprenticeships for the students. A six-month apprenticeship at the undergraduate level should be incorporated in NEP,” Krishna suggested.

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With consensus on the importance of inculcating research at all levels of education, Raghunath Shevgaonkar, vice-chancellor, Bennett University, observed, “NEP has brought research back into the education system, but the affiliation system is a problem. This constricts research to a few university departments and leaves the undergraduate system unexposed to research.”

Anna Roy, senior advisor at NITI Aayog talked about the need to provide commute infrastructure.

Other themes discussed at the conclave included the need for digitalisation, internationalisation of education and up-skilling aligned to industry. M. P. Poonia, vice-chairman, All India Council for Technical Education, said hackathons were being organised to provide exposure to students.