Private coaching: A symptom of failing classrooms

A new government survey done earlier this year finds roughly one in four schoolchildren across the country taking private coaching in the current academic year — 27 per cent overall, 30.7 per cent in urban areas and 25.5 per cent in rural areas. For many families in states like Punjab and Haryana, this is not an optional enrichment: it is an insurance premium against an education system that too often leaves students scrambling before the exams. Urban households spend nearly Rs 4,000 a year on coaching (rising to about Rs 10,000 for higher-secondary students); rural spends are lower but still significant. These figures come from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s Comprehensive Modular Survey (Education), April-June 2025.