The deep penetration of digital technology and mushroom growth of coaching centres have opened doors for students to explore alternate options. Gradually schools are losing sheen. The issue of dummy admissions is seriously hurting both public and private institutions. Initially it was confined to classes 11th and 12th, but now it has covered other classes – as 8th ,9th and 10th as increasing number of parents send their wards for foundational coaching classes in the run up to NEET and JEE entrance examinations.

We need to decode this rising trend. Unfortunately our understanding of the schooling system is limited to transaction of academic content. Was this the only rationale to establish schools? If this is central to schooling ecosystem, why students will prefer schools when they have access to even better options. Visualizing schooling system from the broader perspective, it offers different insights. Schools not only satisfy the learning needs but are also places to shape holistic development of a child. Scholastic and non-scholastic domains need to be on equal footing in shaping the wholesome personality of the learner. This becomes even more significant in the current circumstances, when the younger generation is plagued by plethora of issues be it mental, psycho-social, physical. NCERT now reckons schools as health and wellness centres.

No doubt, e-learning virtual platforms, big offline coaching giants will take care of the academic needs of students, but who will do their emotional hand holding, engage them in sports activities, nurture their social adjustment. This is where the role of school becomes even more critical.

Factors contributing to the shift

It is an accepted reality that schools have not evolved on expected lines over time. The current educational landscape is witnessing a profound systemic shift. Traditional schools, once the sole sanctuaries of learning, are facing an existential crisis as they are increasingly relegated to “administrative hubs,” while actual high-stakes learning migrates to e-learning platforms. The education system is currently navigating an unprecedented “existential crisis” as the traditional school model struggles to maintain relevance against the rise of e-learning titans like Physics Wallah (PW) and established offline coaching giants. This shift has fundamentally altered the role of the school from a temple of learning to a secondary administrative requirement.

The reluctance and rigidity on the part of school system to adjust to the changing environment has compelled students to explore other learning options. This has led to mass exodus of students from schools to these e-learning platforms and offline coaching academies. The schooling system is literally at the brink of collapse. The author has conversed with diverse number of students to get first hand insight into their preferences. The students preferred virtual medium of learning and considered school as secondary option. For a moment, it was hard to digest. The students justified their priority by stating that these platforms have customized their teaching learning delivery mechanism. Besides these e-learning platforms make optimum use of technology, especially the AI learning models to further refine the conceptual understanding of the learner. This should trouble us all.

The schools need to be places to nurture the 21st skills. But are our schools ready to do that? Contrarily schools are rapidly losing their relevance in contemporary times? The concept of de-schooling and home schooling is gaining momentum.

Dr. Mushtaq Rather, Educator from Akura Mattan, South Kashmir.

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