My neighbour’s son had passed the IIT JEE exam. There was a buzz in the house. Relatives came to
congratulate him. The family’s joy was palpable. That one’s success had brought misery to many children in the neighbourhood. Those who hadn’t passed were all walking around with downcast faces. Some mothers sided with the failed children, saying, “The boy didn’t reach IIT just like that. He’d been taking coaching for three years,” they argued. The mention of coaching sparked a debate: “Is it really impossible to pass an engineering exam without coaching?” There are many aspects to this debate.
Sunil Saraswat, an account manager at a private company, says that if coaching institutes weren’t effective, their numbers wouldn’t be growing so rapidly today. Coaching institutes have been operating for many years and will continue to do so in the future. There are reasons for their growth. The number of students aspiring to study engineering in the country has reached 5 million annually. In 2021-22, the number of students taking the exam for admission to engineering and technology programs was over 4.13 million.
And now the government is increasing engineering seats every year. According to information released by AICTE, the number of BE/B.Tech seats available in 2024-25 has reached 1.49 million. 1.415 million students took the JEE-Main 2024 exam alone.
Ujjwal Kumar, who holds a master’s degree in architecture, says, “If you can’t complete the syllabus on your own, you should join coaching. Coaching requires discipline, as classes start on time. This makes it easier to manage your time. Study times are also consistent. Subjects are taught sequentially in coaching, and there’s ample opportunity to clear doubts. Good coaching is especially important for the JEE. Isn’t enrolling in a coaching institute like joining the crowd? Yes, to a large extent, it is. A large number of parents and students enrol in coaching institutes simply by imitating others.”
Many cities in the country have become hubs for coaching. Not just Kota, millions of students are currently attending coaching in dozens of cities, including Patna, Kanpur, Delhi, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Kota has become the largest hub among these. However, after repeated reports of student suicides over the past few years, guardians have become hesitant to send their children to Kota.
A particular coaching institute in Kota has seen the highest number of student suicides.
It’s true that dozens of institutes have sprung up in Kota in the name of JEE preparation, all of which claim to offer the best education and the highest number of students selected for IIT. So, do all coaching
institutes do this? Probably not! There are some special coaching institutes that, instead of putting
unnecessary pressure on children, focus on enhancing their thinking and understanding. Sunil Saraswat
says, “My daughter wanted to pursue engineering.
I conducted extensive surveys across several leading coaching institutes and observed that FIITJEE’s
approach to learning and assessment distinguishes itself when it comes to pre-admission assessment.
During my interaction with the admission in-charge at one of its centres in Delhi, the institute appears to
follow a holistic education philosophy to prepare students for academic challenges and broader life
pressures with composure and resilience. In modern pedagogy, this approach is followed to make students capable beyond the cat race of merely clearing an exam.
But this brings up an urgent question: why are students in Kota—India’s coaching capital—continuing to die by suicide? Are they victims of unbearable academic pressure, or is there more beneath the surface?
FIITJEE founder D.K. Goel believes that the real issue is not the competition itself but the emotional
environment surrounding it. According to him, no child ends their life because of the burden of studies
alone. “A child takes such a step when they are humiliated, neglected, or made to feel that they can never
succeed,” he says. “When a child starts avoiding their parents’ gaze out of guilt or hopelessness, that’s when things become dangerous.”
Goel points out that many coaching institutes admit students without understanding their true potential.
Admission is often based on a single test, followed by unrealistic promises that every student will emerge as a top ranker. But when classes begin, weaker students start lagging behind. Institutes tend to concentrate more on high performers, while others feel ignored and demoralised. This imbalance—between expectation and support—becomes a fertile ground for emotional breakdowns.
At FIITJEE, Goel claims, the focus is on giving students a clear, honest assessment of their capabilities before admission. This process, according to him, helps set achievable goals and reduces unnecessary anxiety. He also notes that if a student appears unsuited for an intensive program like IIT preparation, they may be guided toward other pathways rather than being pushed into an unsuitable environment.
Goel admits that in an ideal world, India’s school education system would make external coaching
redundant. “Our schools should nurture conceptual clarity and innovation to such an extent that coaching becomes unnecessary,” he says. “But until that happens, institutes like ours must take responsibility to ensure students are not just prepared for exams, but also mentally resilient.”
In 2004, FIITJEE introduced an integrated model combining school education with exam preparation,
anticipating key ideas later echoed in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
However, not every coaching centre follows such practices. Some resort to unethical shortcuts or create
excessively pressurised environments to maintain a reputation for producing toppers. These practices,
experts argue, are contributing to the mental health crisis among students.
The Rajasthan High Court recently criticised excessive study hours and academic pressure in Kota, noting one institute with the highest student suicides and directing strict action against schools and coaching centres holding classes during school hours.
The tragedy in Kota reflects a moral failure, where the pursuit of success has overshadowed empathy.
Education focused on self-discovery, honest mentoring, and support according to students’ strengths can
make pressure a challenge, not a curse.
Disclaimer: Bikram Upadhyay is a senior analyst specializing in evolving learning trends in the coaching industry. The views expressed in this article are his own.