Where every student is burdened by the pressure of academic success, where individuals are evaluated not by their skills but by their ranks, and where toppers are a commodity to gain business, it is no wonder that in a place like this education is rarely used for the enlightenment of an individual. The debate over the backdated Indian education system has been going on for decades and the emphasis on rote learning deviates students from learning actual skills and concepts. It rather forces them to focus on memorising facts and patterns.
Regardless of interest and merits, students are pressured to apply and compete in competitive exams in hordes by their parents which has led to the boom of the education industry.
A vast array of companies and coaching centres promise immense academic success and exploit vulnerable parents to snatch away their hard-earned money. The fact that Indian parents are willing to risk it all when it comes to the education of their children is exploited by these coaching centres.
It has created a market where students are the commodity. Coaching centres often flaunt their highest rank holders on huge billboards just like any company shows off its best product, alluring parents with the highly unlikely promise that their child might become this one day.
Hundreds of billboards hoarded over buildings show that a country where people used to come to gain knowledge has slowly turned education into a factory that produces machines that obey without a second thought.
