Free training for competitive exams: Tamil Nadu govt increases intake from 500 to 1,400 after initial success
At present only 500 students are trained every year in the Competitive Examination Coaching Centres (CECC), which were established in four cities such as Chennai, Coimbatore, Salem and Madurai.
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CHENNAI: After getting an overwhelming response for the free coaching scheme for competitive exams, the State government has decided to increase the number of beneficiaries from 500 to 1,400 students. The state government scheme offers intensive coaching for competitive exams at the national level, including GATE, GMAT, IES and TOEFL, free of cost.
At present only 500 students are trained every year in the Competitive Examination Coaching Centres (CECC), which were established in four cities such as Chennai, Coimbatore, Salem and Madurai.
The training is being conducted in Sir Theagaraya College campus and Presidency College Campus in Chennai, Government Arts College campus at Coimbatore, Periyar University Campus in Salem and Madurai Kamaraj University Evening College Campus in Madurai. Coaching is also conducted for students preparing for the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC), Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) exams. A senior official from the Higher Education Department told DT Next that currently, the government spends
Rs 8,500 for each student to undergo training for various competitive exams according to their choices. “We could not make other aspirants join the coaching due to certain limitations and restrictions”, he added.
Stating that hundreds of students started requesting to increase the strength of the trainees, based on which, the official said, the government has decided to increase the student intake from 500 to 1,400”.
The budget for the training was Rs 42.50 lakh for 500 students, and the government plans to allocate an additional Rs 77 lakh to accommodate 1,400 aspirants. The official said that applying to CECC is easy, and selection is based on Class X grade marks, ensuring equal opportunities for all.
P Elangovan, who runs a coaching centre for the competitive exams in the city, said, “The government initiative is a welcome one. Students from poor economic backgrounds could not afford training in private institutions to crack the competitive exams due to high fees, though they might be talented. This free training from the government will help many students to get government jobs”.
