News: "ISEET, the Indian Science Engineering Eligibility Test will be successor to the JEE and AIEEE. This new SAT-style exam will come into force in 2013. It will do away with multiple entrance examinations and reduce the stress levels of students. ISEET will have two parts, Main and Advance, each of three hours duration. Both tests will be given on the same day, between 10 am and 5 pm. ISEET 2013 will be held in either April or May.
ISEET will be objective-type exam and will test comprehension, critical thinking and logical reasoning. Its advance level will test problem-solving ability in basic science subjects. Both the tests together will indicate a candidate's scholastic level and aptitude for science and engineering."
Despite severe opposition from the IIT Alumni Network, one of the world's most dreaded examinations, IIT-JEE has somewhat been done away with and so have numerous other regional and national level engineering entrance examinations in India. For admission to IITs and NITs, about 40% weightage will be given to Class XII Board Examination marks and the remaining 60% weightage will be assigned to the ISEET (the common test that will replace all engineering entrance examinations). For Regional Engineering Colleges, the corresponding State can play with the weightage to the same components but the amplitude of variation will not be much. Whether or not this move by HRD Ministry is correct does not matter anymore. What does matter now is how the landscape would change for the parties involved – Coaching Institutions, Students, IITs, Schools, Publishers, etc.
Since the objective of this move by the HRD Ministry was mainly to squeeze Coaching Institutes out of business, let me limit the scope of this article to the effect of this change on Coaching Institutes.
Whenever we talk about Coaching Institutes, the first thing that strikes our mind is Kota. Each year, almost a lakh aspiring students from across the country go to Kota for their IIT-JEE preparation at Coaching Institutes like Bansal Classes, ALLEN, etc. Students start taking admission tests for these institutes even before their Class X Board Examinations. Students who get admission to any of the institutes automatically get admission to a school with which that particular institute has a tie-up. The student is not required to go to school regularly. She/he instead attends classes at the Coaching Institute. At the end of 2 years, the student just has to take the Board Examinations under the name of her/his school. If you go through the data of Class XII Board Examination marks of students preparing for IIT-JEE at Kota, you will find majority of students getting percentages not too far from the cut-off of 60% required to take IIT-JEE. This is because the focus at such institutes is always on the Engineering Entrance Examinations – be it IIT-JEE, AIEEE or any other.
The case discussed above is the same across the country at institutes where there are more than 2000 students enrolled, for example FIITJEE – New Delhi, K. C. Sinha Classes – New Delhi, Srijan Classes – Patna, JRS - Varanasi, Narayana Hyderabad, etc.
For smaller institutes and institutes that do not have tie-ups with schools, if students want to study at their center, they take admission to a school that does not have strict minimum attendance criterion (Government schools) or they juggle with their school classes and institute classes (I have done this jugglery in my time to qualify IIT-JEE and score among the toppers in Board Examination in the same year and trust me, it gets very difficult to maintain sanity).
To study the effects of the merger of all examinations into one ISEET on Coaching Institutes, let us divide the engineering admission evaluation from 2013 in two parts – (1) ISEET, (2) Class XII Board Examinations.
Coaching Institutes have nothing to worry as far as the ISEET is concerned. To help students rein ISEET, schools are not currently adequately equipped. I am not saying that schools do not have talented teachers. They do but their number is less and their mindset is tuned to Board Examinations rather than Competitive Engineering Entrance Examinations like IIT-JEE, AIEEE (until this year) or ISEET (from next year onwards). Schools also do not have sufficient time to groom the students for ISEET due to limited number of hours each day with holidays and vacations around the year unlike Coaching Institutes that can be comparatively more flexible in the number of hours of study, holidays and vacations. It is not even worth talking about the state of Government schools where majority of the low-income group people send their kids. At these schools, both the quality and attendance of the teachers are pathetic thus leaving no option to such kids other than relying on Coaching Institutes to enlighten their career.
The ISEET will be a one-day affair (or a two-day affair if the candidate chooses to use both of his maximum of two attempts at ISEET) that will decide the future of the aspiring students. Earlier, the risks were diversified as there were separate examinations for different Engineering colleges and not, just one combined test. With such risks involved from next year onwards, no student or parent would ever take a chance by not opting for a Coaching Institute.
So, Coaching Institutes will now become a must for students contrary to what the HRD Ministry and the IIT Council actually wanted. The only option available to students is to go to these institutes. Even poor parents would now have to shell out their entire life's savings to send their kids to these Institutes. The market size of Coaching Institutes is hence, expected to increase.
The challenge for Coaching Institutes will however be to predict the new examination pattern and teach accordingly and this is going to be a big problem for them. There will be some chaos about the new pattern of examination until the examination is first conducted in 2013 or until IITs publish a sample paper before 2013. Therefore, a lot of students might be misguided this year. Keeping this in mind, for next one year, more students will look to enroll at institutes that have bigger and reputed brand names like FIITJEE, K. C. Sinha Classes – New Delhi, Srijan Classes – Patna, etc.
The other significant effect would be an increase in tie-ups of institutes with schools and vice versa. In case of smaller institutes, the institute teachers might go to the school to conduct classes on behalf of the institute, especially for ISEET.
With 40% weightage being assigned to Class XII Board Examination marks, the Coaching Institutes will now modify their approach a bit and also start teaching for the Class XII Board Examinations. They will have to manage time more efficiently to cover the +2 portion for the students. They will also have to increase the number of hours of study at their center, which in turn would increase their pricing (tuition fees).
For the students to score high in their Class XII Board Examinations, the institutes will also now hire teachers for English, Hindi, Computers, Economics, etc. as opposed to having teachers only for Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry currently. This will increase the cost to the institutes again leading to an increase in fees for the students. The institutes will however keep an option for students to not opt for the Board Examination preparation at their center.
To cater to students going to schools affiliated to different boards (CBSE, ICSE, State Boards), the coaching institutes will have to make separate batches for each Board as there is a difference in the syllabi of Boards.
I have been to quite a few villages and small towns where if you pay the School Principal and/or invigilator a good amount, he will arrange for a separate room for your kid to take Board Examinations with text-books open. Even after examinations, I have heard influential people paying hefty sum of money to the teachers who correct the examination papers (and this happens mostly in case of State Board affiliated schools) to manipulate the marks. Now, Coaching Institutes and also common people would be paying huge amounts to the School Principals and/or invigilators for their kids to score more in their Board Examinations illegally.
The worst part of the current move by HRD Ministry is that the Coaching industry will become even more fragmented. More coaching institutes will open now, even those that would not be capable of teaching IIT level would open up their centers and claim to be training institutes for admission to IITs. The move will also prove a blessing for school teachers who would encourage their students to enroll for private tuition with them.
As far as I think, in a few years, the ISEET will go online. So, institutes should start strategizing right away in that direction. Last but not the least, the Coaching Institutes will also start diversifying their focus to other competitive examinations like the entrance examinations for the Medical Colleges.
What also needs mention is that it does not matter how hard the HRD Ministry tries to eliminate Coaching Institutes, these institutes will always be there. Even if one changes the admission criteria for IITs and other Engineering Colleges to be something as basic as tying one's shoelace, the Coaching Institutes will still be there preparing students to tie their shoelace in the most innovative way.
In today's world, it's always "survival of the fittest" and in the case at hand, I have to say that the Coaching Institutes (and not our schools) will prove the fittest.
ISEET will be objective-type exam and will test comprehension, critical thinking and logical reasoning. Its advance level will test problem-solving ability in basic science subjects. Both the tests together will indicate a candidate's scholastic level and aptitude for science and engineering."
Despite severe opposition from the IIT Alumni Network, one of the world's most dreaded examinations, IIT-JEE has somewhat been done away with and so have numerous other regional and national level engineering entrance examinations in India. For admission to IITs and NITs, about 40% weightage will be given to Class XII Board Examination marks and the remaining 60% weightage will be assigned to the ISEET (the common test that will replace all engineering entrance examinations). For Regional Engineering Colleges, the corresponding State can play with the weightage to the same components but the amplitude of variation will not be much. Whether or not this move by HRD Ministry is correct does not matter anymore. What does matter now is how the landscape would change for the parties involved – Coaching Institutions, Students, IITs, Schools, Publishers, etc.
Since the objective of this move by the HRD Ministry was mainly to squeeze Coaching Institutes out of business, let me limit the scope of this article to the effect of this change on Coaching Institutes.
Whenever we talk about Coaching Institutes, the first thing that strikes our mind is Kota. Each year, almost a lakh aspiring students from across the country go to Kota for their IIT-JEE preparation at Coaching Institutes like Bansal Classes, ALLEN, etc. Students start taking admission tests for these institutes even before their Class X Board Examinations. Students who get admission to any of the institutes automatically get admission to a school with which that particular institute has a tie-up. The student is not required to go to school regularly. She/he instead attends classes at the Coaching Institute. At the end of 2 years, the student just has to take the Board Examinations under the name of her/his school. If you go through the data of Class XII Board Examination marks of students preparing for IIT-JEE at Kota, you will find majority of students getting percentages not too far from the cut-off of 60% required to take IIT-JEE. This is because the focus at such institutes is always on the Engineering Entrance Examinations – be it IIT-JEE, AIEEE or any other.
The case discussed above is the same across the country at institutes where there are more than 2000 students enrolled, for example FIITJEE – New Delhi, K. C. Sinha Classes – New Delhi, Srijan Classes – Patna, JRS - Varanasi, Narayana Hyderabad, etc.
For smaller institutes and institutes that do not have tie-ups with schools, if students want to study at their center, they take admission to a school that does not have strict minimum attendance criterion (Government schools) or they juggle with their school classes and institute classes (I have done this jugglery in my time to qualify IIT-JEE and score among the toppers in Board Examination in the same year and trust me, it gets very difficult to maintain sanity).
To study the effects of the merger of all examinations into one ISEET on Coaching Institutes, let us divide the engineering admission evaluation from 2013 in two parts – (1) ISEET, (2) Class XII Board Examinations.
Coaching Institutes have nothing to worry as far as the ISEET is concerned. To help students rein ISEET, schools are not currently adequately equipped. I am not saying that schools do not have talented teachers. They do but their number is less and their mindset is tuned to Board Examinations rather than Competitive Engineering Entrance Examinations like IIT-JEE, AIEEE (until this year) or ISEET (from next year onwards). Schools also do not have sufficient time to groom the students for ISEET due to limited number of hours each day with holidays and vacations around the year unlike Coaching Institutes that can be comparatively more flexible in the number of hours of study, holidays and vacations. It is not even worth talking about the state of Government schools where majority of the low-income group people send their kids. At these schools, both the quality and attendance of the teachers are pathetic thus leaving no option to such kids other than relying on Coaching Institutes to enlighten their career.
The ISEET will be a one-day affair (or a two-day affair if the candidate chooses to use both of his maximum of two attempts at ISEET) that will decide the future of the aspiring students. Earlier, the risks were diversified as there were separate examinations for different Engineering colleges and not, just one combined test. With such risks involved from next year onwards, no student or parent would ever take a chance by not opting for a Coaching Institute.
So, Coaching Institutes will now become a must for students contrary to what the HRD Ministry and the IIT Council actually wanted. The only option available to students is to go to these institutes. Even poor parents would now have to shell out their entire life's savings to send their kids to these Institutes. The market size of Coaching Institutes is hence, expected to increase.
The challenge for Coaching Institutes will however be to predict the new examination pattern and teach accordingly and this is going to be a big problem for them. There will be some chaos about the new pattern of examination until the examination is first conducted in 2013 or until IITs publish a sample paper before 2013. Therefore, a lot of students might be misguided this year. Keeping this in mind, for next one year, more students will look to enroll at institutes that have bigger and reputed brand names like FIITJEE, K. C. Sinha Classes – New Delhi, Srijan Classes – Patna, etc.
The other significant effect would be an increase in tie-ups of institutes with schools and vice versa. In case of smaller institutes, the institute teachers might go to the school to conduct classes on behalf of the institute, especially for ISEET.
With 40% weightage being assigned to Class XII Board Examination marks, the Coaching Institutes will now modify their approach a bit and also start teaching for the Class XII Board Examinations. They will have to manage time more efficiently to cover the +2 portion for the students. They will also have to increase the number of hours of study at their center, which in turn would increase their pricing (tuition fees).
For the students to score high in their Class XII Board Examinations, the institutes will also now hire teachers for English, Hindi, Computers, Economics, etc. as opposed to having teachers only for Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry currently. This will increase the cost to the institutes again leading to an increase in fees for the students. The institutes will however keep an option for students to not opt for the Board Examination preparation at their center.
To cater to students going to schools affiliated to different boards (CBSE, ICSE, State Boards), the coaching institutes will have to make separate batches for each Board as there is a difference in the syllabi of Boards.
I have been to quite a few villages and small towns where if you pay the School Principal and/or invigilator a good amount, he will arrange for a separate room for your kid to take Board Examinations with text-books open. Even after examinations, I have heard influential people paying hefty sum of money to the teachers who correct the examination papers (and this happens mostly in case of State Board affiliated schools) to manipulate the marks. Now, Coaching Institutes and also common people would be paying huge amounts to the School Principals and/or invigilators for their kids to score more in their Board Examinations illegally.
The worst part of the current move by HRD Ministry is that the Coaching industry will become even more fragmented. More coaching institutes will open now, even those that would not be capable of teaching IIT level would open up their centers and claim to be training institutes for admission to IITs. The move will also prove a blessing for school teachers who would encourage their students to enroll for private tuition with them.
As far as I think, in a few years, the ISEET will go online. So, institutes should start strategizing right away in that direction. Last but not the least, the Coaching Institutes will also start diversifying their focus to other competitive examinations like the entrance examinations for the Medical Colleges.
What also needs mention is that it does not matter how hard the HRD Ministry tries to eliminate Coaching Institutes, these institutes will always be there. Even if one changes the admission criteria for IITs and other Engineering Colleges to be something as basic as tying one's shoelace, the Coaching Institutes will still be there preparing students to tie their shoelace in the most innovative way.
In today's world, it's always "survival of the fittest" and in the case at hand, I have to say that the Coaching Institutes (and not our schools) will prove the fittest.
3 comments:
I agree, that coaching institutes would grow. But, main aim is elimination of kota system i.e. adolescent students fleeing out to coaching hubs and spending 2 years in that prison
Also, major % of jee coaching market is shared by only 15 to 20 coaching institutes like bansal,allen,resonance,pace,etc.
This step would ensure that these coaching institutes will be deprived off and i guess if there are any negative effects of the new pattern, new pattern legislation would be again passed after around 7 years ensuring these big coaching names are choked and fragmented
I would surely join a coaching institute as you mentioned:"no student or parent would ever take a chance by not opting for a Coaching Institute."
and new pattern would ensure that i will be in my own city and not in a prison with same advantage as any other student in any metropolitan city
I am not in favor of this new exam pattern.Its totally an injustice to the regional board aspirants.Its a well known fact that CBSE's marking system is comparatively easier than other regional boards.So,definitely CBSE candidates will score more in ISEET.
There's definately a great deal to know about this issue. I like all the points you've made.
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