Coaching Industry Vis-À-Vis Right To Education: Historical Perspective And Development
- IJLLR Journal
- 11 hours ago
- 1 min read
Mehak, Advocate at District and Sessions Court, Amritsar
ABSTRACT
The rapid expansion of the coaching industry in India has profoundly reshaped the country’s educational landscape, giving rise to a parallel system of “shadow education” that operates alongside formal schooling. This article undertakes a historical and socio-legal examination of the coaching industry in India vis-à-vis the constitutional and statutory commitment to the right to education. Tracing the evolution of education policies from the pre-colonial and colonial periods through post-independence reforms, the study situates the emergence of coaching institutes within broader structural transformations in Indian education, including competitive examination regimes, policy-driven access expansion, and persistent quality gaps in formal schooling. The article critically analyses the impact of landmark interventions such as Article 45 of the Constitution, the Right to Education Act, 2009, and successive National Education Policies, culminating in the regulatory framework envisaged under the National Education Policy, 2020. It explores the socio-economic, psychological, and equity-related implications of the coaching industry, highlighting how market-driven supplementary education simultaneously addresses systemic deficiencies while exacerbating educational inequality and commercialization. The study further examines regulatory responses, committee reports, judicial concerns, and the growing influence of EdTech platforms, underscoring emerging challenges relating to access, mental health, standardization, and accountability. By contextualizing the coaching industry within India’s constitutional promise of inclusive and equitable education, the article argues for a balanced regulatory approach that recognizes the functional role of coaching institutes while safeguarding the fundamental right to education, student welfare, and substantive equality.
