Streaming at a time when the utility of the coaching hub for society is under a cloud, the third season of the black-and-white series Kota Factory mostly sees the problem through rose-tinted glasses. Putting the onus of life-sapping pressure on students on the demand and supply model — where the ratio between the seats and aspirants is highly skewed — it romanticises the Factory model that pushes 15-16-year-olds through punishing schedules into a rat race of becoming engineers and doctors. In a roundabout fashion, it tells us that the Rajasthan town has the first-mover advantage.
If, over the years, its ecosystem has become mechanical, other centres are on the same path. The makers are not in a hurry to overhaul the process but like a seasoned politician seek votes for one more season by providing a feel-good experience to impressionable students and parents, the target audience. It gives a sense that some tweaking here and there will keep the business of coaching aerodynamic and the students in the conveyor belt.
The debate on whether the coaching centres should focus only on potential rankers or give equal importance to those who bring up the rear also misses the crucial money angle. Isn’t it the volumes that keep any factory running? It masks it with the altruistic goal of celebrating the preparation. Similarly, on the frustrating question of board exams colliding with competitive tests, it doesn’t discuss the role of school education in preparing students for comp.
