On September 9, Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy emphasized that parents need to create a disciplined home environment to help their children focus on their studies. He pointed out that parents cannot watch movies and expect their children to study at the same time.
Murthy and his wife, Sudha, dedicated over three and a half hours daily to reading with their children, Akshata and Rohan Murty, to foster discipline. They spent from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm focused on reading and studying, with television banned during this time. After dinner, they continued studying together from 9 pm to 11 pm to maintain this culture of discipline.
“My wife believed that if I was watching TV, I couldn’t ask our children to study,” Murthy explained. “So she decided to give up her TV time and study with them.”
Although Murthy’s work often kept him away from home, his wife’s choice to forego TV and study with the children set a strong example. This allowed their children to ask questions and get help from their parents, though Murthy acknowledged that this might not always be possible if parents are less knowledgeable than their children.
However, establishing a disciplined learning environment is more crucial. It is the parents’ duty to set that model of leadership through example, stated Murthy. “It won’t work if the parents take their kids to the movies and then tell them, ‘No, no, you study,'” he stated.
Akshata, Murthy’s daughter, is a fashion designer and venture capitalist, married to former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Rohan, his son, is the founder and CTO of the AI company Soroco.
Murthy expressed his skepticism about coaching classes, stating that they are often a result of students not paying attention in class. The 78-year-old IT executive declared, “I don’t believe in coaching classes.” “Students shouldn’t be helped to pass exams by taking coaching classes. Most students who attend coaching classes are those who don’t listen to their teachers, and since parents may not always be able to assist, they find value in these classes.”
He was addressing concerns about the rise in suicides in coaching hubs like Kota and whether coaching institutes are a gateway to IITs and NITs.
The coaching industry in India is booming, with an estimated annual value of over Rs 58,000 crore and a growth rate of around 19-20 percent per year. By the end of the decade, the online coaching market is expected to develop at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 17%, with a projected value of $2 billion.