Devotees line up around the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya to have darshan of Ram Lalla, and monkeys are not the only ubiquitous sightings in search of a portion of the offerings. So are the students. There are about a dozen coaching centers along the road leading to the site of the Ram Mandir under construction – the mundane portal to a more accessible salvation, a government job.
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Still BJP It is felt. In February 2021, the Yogi Adityanath government launched the much-hyped Abhyudaya coaching program for government job aspirants. The party has promised this time in its Sankalp Patra (manifesto) that under Abhyudaya Yojana, its government will provide free coaching for UPSC, UPPSC, NDA, CDS, JEE, NCERT, TET, CLAT and other competitive exams. All over UP, coaching centers prepare students for B.Ed as well as for Group-C and Group-D government jobs like Revenue Accountant, Police Constable, Army for lower rank recruitment.
Hoardings displaying the courses offered by various coaching centers in Lucknow
On February 25, 2022, Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of UP held a review meeting of the scheme, where it was noted that “Abhyudaya Yojana was to be started in every district, but so far it has started in all districts of Moradabad division and all Divisional Headquarters”. In this meeting, the officers were instructed to start the scheme in every district. Indian Express,
While the Abhyudaya website does not have any details of candidates’ nominations, it promotes, “(Abhyudaya) platform has more than 500 IAS officers, over 450 IPS officers, over 300 IFS officers and many experts on various subjects who are physically Contribute by creating educational content through classes and virtual sessions for aspirants of civil services and other competitive examinations.
a coaching center in ayodhya
At the ‘Ayodhya Academy’, Pushpendra Shukla is coaching about a dozen candidates on “one-day examinations” (for example, recruiting in a single examination as opposed to the civil service). “The fact is that there is so much competition that it is almost impossible to crack the exam without proper coaching,” says Shukla. Among his students, only two have family members in government services.
Ramesh Yadav, owner of Revansh Classes, another coaching center located on the same road, says: “Most of the students come to us from the nearby districts and the very lower strata of the society. They only have their dreams. They also bring flour, pulses, rice from home and spend a few thousand on room rent and coaching fees.
The government announced a new education policy in 2020, according to which the focus will be on “regular formative assessment for learning rather than the summative assessment that today’s coaching culture encourages”. If and till this happens, it is small centers like Revansh Classes that are a lifeline for candidates from small towns of UP.
Large coaching centers largely located in cities and focusing on civil services charge around Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.80 lakh per student per year. Young children are happy with Rs 1,000 per month for coaching in “one-day examinations”. For TET, B.Ed entrance and other exams, they offer a few months packages. Most of the teachers are either those who fail in such examinations after many attempts or are regular teachers who are hired from nearby institutions.
Vijay Singh of Dhyana IAS Academy, which has centers in cities like Lucknow, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur, says: “We are doing what our universities and colleges should be doing. If he had done his job properly, no coaching would have been needed. Universities are only giving degrees, we are giving only what students need to get jobs.
Chand Ahmed, who runs Shri Gurudev Sansthan in Rae Bareli, says: “Most of our students are aspiring for TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) and Super-TET.” Among them is Vartika Singh, who says that for women like her, “teaching is the safest job.”
Institutes for Civil Services Examination like Vijay Pandey in Prayagraj also provide coaching in ‘Personality Test’. He says that after the Kovid lockdown and job losses, there has been a surge in the demand for government jobs. “Thus the competition has also increased manifold.”
Ankush Singh, 19, enrolled at the Ayodhya center for coaching for the Staff Selection Commission exams, says he had left his graduation to prepare for admission. One of the four siblings, Ankush, hails from Dhanauli village in Gonda district, 42 km away. His living expenses in Ayodhya are Rs 4,000 per month, which is a heavy price for his farmer father, no one in the family employed.
“It is easier said than done to start an enterprise,” says Ankush, in reference to the government’s push for self-employment. “You need time and money to get or start anything. I don’t have money… A job is the only hope for me. I have come here after giving up hope of army recruitment.”