Cap coaching classes at 2-3 hrs per day, align school curricula with NEET, JEE, says govt panel: Report

A committee established by the Ministry of Education has proposed sweeping changes to India's high school education system, aiming to limit coaching centre hours and reduce student dependence on external tuition, said a report. The panel has recommended capping coaching classes at "2-3 hours per day", redesigning school curricula to align more closely with competitive entrance examinations, and increasing the weightage of board examination results in college admissions. 

According to a report in The Indian Express, the proposals respond to concerns regarding the "psychological toll of competitive exams and the pressure to enrol in coaching from an early age". Members also want to see the introduction of career guidance starting in Class 8 and the possibility of competitive tests in Class 11, the report added.

The committee, headed by Vineet Joshi, Secretary of the Department of Higher Education, was constituted in June 2025 to examine the effectiveness and fairness of competitive entrance examinations, the proliferation of dummy schools, and the growing influence of coaching institutes across academic pathways. The panel included senior officials such as CBSE chairman Rahul Singh, NTA Director General Rajesh Lakhani, and professors from leading technical institutes. During meetings at Shastri Bhawan, members discussed the "growing concern around the proliferation of coaching centres and their impact on student well-being, equity of education, and the role of schools".

Throughout the discussions, the lack of structured counselling and career guidance in schools was cited as contributing to student stress and reliance on private guidance.

A key issue identified by the committee was the disconnect between school curricula and the demands of competitive examinations such as JEE and NEET, the report added. The transition from Class 10 to Class 11 was noted as a stress point. The committee considered the "lack of alignment between CBSE's analytical and conceptual approach and the objective, MCQ-based format of entrance exams" a "root cause" of the dependence on coaching, fueling dummy schools and a parallel education economy.

The committee observed that many teachers in schools are not adequately trained to teach beyond board exam requirements, while coaching centres often employ subject experts, including engineers and medical graduates. Schools, it noted, do not offer the same environment of regular testing, performance analytics and curated study materials, which pushes students to seek external preparation.

Recommendations include designating NCERT as the nodal agency, supported by NTA, CBSE, and other boards, to ensure syllabus alignment between school curricula and competitive exam requirements. 

The panel suggests greater regulation of coaching centres, including advertising practices and mandatory disclosure of teaching methods, faculty credentials, and student success rates. Additional measures under consideration include increasing the frequency of entrance exams and giving more weight to board exam scores in admissions. Sub-committees are tasked with comparing syllabi across boards and exploring whether competitive exams can be conducted in Grade 11.