Infosys co-founder Narayan Murthy slams coaching centers, says focus should be on real learning

Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy believes that coaching classes are not the best method for students to pass exams.

"Coaching classes are the wrong way to help children pass examinations," Murthy said at the Bengaluru launch of Paul Hewitt's 13th edition of Conceptual Physics, emphasizing that they are only necessary for students who fail to pay attention in regular school lectures.

He believes that the true objective of education is to encourage critical thinking rather than to prepare for tests through rote learning.

Murthy addressed the increasing reliance on coaching centers, particularly in towns like Kota, which are known for their high-pressure environments.

When asked if coaching institutes serve as a pathway to prominent universities such as IITs and NITs, Murthy was blunt; he said, "Most people who go to coaching classes don't listen to their teachers carefully in school. And parents, who are often unable to help their children academically, see coaching centers as the only solution.”

Murthy raised concern about the thriving coaching business, which has expanded to over ₹58,000 crore annually and continues to rise at 19-20% each year. While this growth reflects rising demand, Murthy believes it reveals a larger issue in India's education system, where rote memorization frequently takes precedence over true learning.

Murthy emphasized that the abilities of observation, analysis, and hypothesis testing are essential for resolving real-world issues and that these should be the main focuses of education.

Murthy said, "The purpose of education is to learn how to learn," emphasizing that comprehension and critical thinking—rather than memorization—should be the foundations of a child's education.

He went on to discuss how he believed this kind of teaching may encourage creativity. Murthy remembers being asked what innovation was actually meant by a peon during an Infosys training in 1993.

Murthy gave a straightforward but powerful response, saying, "Innovation is about doing things faster, cheaper, and with better quality than before. Whether you’re cleaning a table or solving complex problems, it's about improving every day."