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New Delhi: A committee appointed by the central government has proposed major changes to India’s high school education system to reduce students’ growing dependence on coaching centres. The panel has suggested limiting coaching hours, aligning school curricula with competitive exams like the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The panel has also suggested to give more importance to board exam results in college admissions.
As per sources, the recommendations are aimed at strengthening schools so that students do not rely on external coaching. The proposals come amid rising concerns over student stress, the rise of dummy schools and the influence of the coaching industry.
The committee has recommended capping coaching classes at 2 to 3 hours a day and redesigning school curricula to better reflect the demands of post-school competitive entrance exams. It has also proposed exploring the possibility of introducing competitive tests in Class 11 and increasing the weightage of board exam scores in college admissions.
The committee headed by Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education was set up by the Ministry of Education on June 17, 2025. Members of the panel include CBSE chairman Rahul Singh, National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Rajesh Lakhani, and professors from IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras and NIT Trichy. It aims was to evaluate gaps in school education, the 'effectiveness and fairness of competitive entrance examinations', the rise of dummy schools and the growth of coaching institutes.
During the meetings, members highlighted that coaching centres have 'emerged to fill certain gaps', and stressed that the 'long-term solution must come from strengthening the school ecosystem itself'.
The committee identified a major 'disconnect between school curricula and the demands of competitive exams such as JEE and NEET', calling the transition from Class 10 to Class 11 a key stress point for students.
It observed that the 'lack of alignment between CBSE’s analytical and conceptual approach and the objective, MCQ-based format of entrance exams' is a 'root cause' of students’ dependence on coaching centres. The panel noted that this mismatch has contributed to the rise of dummy schools and a parallel education system.
The committee also pointed out that many school teachers are 'not adequately trained to teach beyond board exam requirements', while coaching centres 'often employ subject experts, including engineers and medical graduates to deliver targeted instruction.'
As per the members, schools lack the ecosystem that coaching institutes provide, such as 'regular testing, performance analytics and curated study materials'. As a result, students seek structured preparation outside school.
The panel also flagged concerns about the psychological toll that competitive exams take and the pressure on students to get enrolled in coaching from a very early age, warning that high-stakes, single-attempt exams promote a narrow view of success. The 'absence of structured counselling and career guidance in schools', it said, further worsens the problem.
