Published: 11:21 PM, 05 September 2026
Coaching Centers Spoil Learners’ Potentialities and Stimulate Academic Corruption
SMM Musabbir Uddin
Education is the foundation of a nation’s development. A strong education system builds skilled citizens, encourages innovation and prepares young people to solve future challenges. In Bangladesh the rapid expansion of coaching centers has become one of the most debated issues in education. While coaching centers may provide additional academic support for some students. Their overwhelming influence has created several problems that can obstacles the healthy development of the country’s education system. The growing dependence on coaching has weakened classroom learning, increased financial pressure on families, promoted inequality and shifting the education system to learning to examination.
One of the biggest problems is that coaching centers have reduced the importance of regular classroom education. Many students believe that attending school alone is not enough to achieve good results. So, they pay less attention in school classroom and rely on private coaching centers. In some case teachers are also responsible for the less attendance students in school and assume student learns difficult topics on private coaching centers. This can weaken the role of education in school.
Another major concern is the commercialization of education. Education should be a public service that develops knowledge and character, but coaching centers have turned the education system into business. Many coaching centers advertise high success rates, guaranteed GPA 5 results or success of admission test into government medical colleges and universities. It attracts the students but they get only despair. Coaching centers makes profit from their despair.
The financial burden on families is another serious issue. Coaching fees can consume a significant portion of household income, especially for middle class and low-income families. Parents often sacrifice other essential expenses to pay for coaching because they fear their children will fall behind. This creates stress for both parents and students. Education should provide equal opportunities but expensive coaching makes academic success more dependent on financial ability than individual talent.
The coaching culture has transformed education into an exam-oriented process. Instead of encouraging critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, and practical understanding, many coaching centers focus on memorizing questions and answers, shortcuts, and likely exam patterns. Students become skilled at scoring marks but may struggle to apply knowledge in real-life situations. A modern education system should produce innovators and leaders, not merely successful test-takers.
Student well-being is another important concern. Many students attend school during the day and coaching classes in the evening, leaving little time for rest, sports, family activities, or personal hobbies. This overloaded schedule can lead to stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and burnout. Childhood and adolescence should include balanced development, but excessive coaching often limits opportunities for healthy physical and emotional growth.
Despite these criticisms, it is important to recognize that coaching centers exist for certain reasons. Large classrooms, limited teaching time, examination pressure, and competition for university admission create demand for extra academic support. Some coaching centers genuinely help students understand difficult subjects, prepare for competitive exams, and improve confidence. Therefore, coaching itself is not the only problem. The deeper issue is the weakness of the formal education system that makes coaching seem necessary.
Instead of depending on coaching centers, Bangladesh should strengthen its schools and colleges. Teachers should receive better professional training, classrooms should become more interactive, and learning should focus on understanding rather than memorization. Schools can offer remedial classes for weaker students, while assessment methods should encourage analytical thinking instead of repetitive practice. Improving teacher accountability, reducing unnecessary examination pressure, and providing quality educational resources in schools can gradually reduce dependence on coaching.
The government also has a role in regulating coaching centers. Clear policies regarding operating standards, teacher involvement, and fee structures can help prevent exploitation. At the same time, investment in public education, digital learning resources, and rural schools can ensure that every student receives quality education regardless of economic background.
Education is supposed to develop a student's creativity, curiosity, moral values, and ability to think independently. Unfortunately, the growing dependence on coaching centers in Bangladesh is gradually weakening these very qualities. What began as additional academic support has now become a parallel education system. In many cases, students are encouraged to depend on coaching centers rather than their schools and teachers. As a result, genuine merit, creativity, and independent thinking are increasingly being pushed into the background.
The pressure of public examinations and university admission tests has created a huge demand for coaching centers. Students from primary schools to universities often attend coaching classes before or after their regular academic activities. Many students spend several hours every day moving from one coaching center to another. Instead of having sufficient time for reading books, playing, participating in cultural activities, or developing personal interests, they become trapped in a continuous cycle of classes, homework, tests, and examinations.
One of the greatest problems with coaching-center culture is its emphasis on memorization. Students are frequently taught shortcuts, model answers, and techniques for obtaining higher marks. They are often encouraged to memorize questions that are likely to appear on examinations rather than understand the underlying concepts. Such an approach may help students achieve good results in the short term, but it does little to develop analytical ability and creativity.
True merit cannot be measured only by examination marks. A genuinely talented student should be able to ask questions, solve unfamiliar problems, express ideas clearly, and apply knowledge to real-life situations. Excessive dependence on coaching can prevent students from developing these abilities. When every problem is solved for them by a teacher or instructor, they gradually lose confidence in solving problems independently.
The coaching-center culture also creates serious inequality in education. Wealthy families can afford expensive coaching programs, private tutors, and additional study materials, while poorer families often struggle to meet these costs. Consequently, students' academic opportunities may increasingly depend on their parents' financial capacity rather than their natural ability and hard work. This undermines the principle of equal opportunity.
Another worrying issue is the excessive pressure placed on young students. Many children spend most of their waking hours attending school and coaching classes. They return home exhausted and still have homework and preparation to complete. Such a routine leaves little time for rest, family interaction, sports, and recreation. Education should not become a source of constant fear and anxiety.
The rapid expansion of coaching centers also raises questions about the quality of mainstream education. If students believe that they cannot succeed without coaching, confidence in schools and colleges naturally declines. Teachers should be able to provide adequate academic guidance within educational institutions. Schools and colleges must therefore become more engaging, supportive, and student-centered.
In conclusion, coaching centers have become a significant obstacle to the healthy development of Bangladesh's education system because they weaken classroom learning, increase financial pressure, promote inequality, and encourage exam-focused education. Although they provide useful support for some students, they should remain supplementary rather than becoming the main source of education. The future of Bangladesh depends on building a strong, fair, and effective education system where schools become the center of learning and every student has an equal opportunity to succeed without excessive dependence on private coaching.
SMM Musabbir Uddin is a
student of Universal
Medical College, Dhaka.
