Gurdaspur starts free coaching for civil service aspirants

The Gurdaspur administration has started ‘Mission Umeed’ in which free coaching classes will be held for aspirants for civil service exams at the District Employment and Business Bureau within the precincts of the District Administrative Complex (DAC).

The classes were inaugurated by Aditya Uppal, holding the additional charge of the Deputy Commissioner of Gurdaspur, Harjinder Singh Bedi, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), Aditya, SSP, and Jaspinder Singh, SDM.

District Employment Officer Parshotam Singh, District Education Officer Rajesh Sharma and Chetan Bharat, founder and managing director of Chetan Bharat Learning Institute, were also present on the occasion.

Upma Mahajan, principal of a Batala-based school, said, “It is possible for a poor student to become an IAS officer through hard work, dedication and strategic preparation. Financial constraints can be really challenging at times, but students can overcome this barrier with government support and perseverance.”

“I see a major disadvantage. Students may feel less motivated if they do not invest financially in their education, potentially leading to lower levels of engagement and commitment,” said a sceptical education official.

The initiative has also come in for praise as exam-centric education, as is prevalent in modern day schools, and frequent tests have been linked to a decline in students’ ability to think critically, creatively and analytically.

Such coaching centres also place an emphasis on developing other abilities that are crucial to passing the civil services exams such as speed, accuracy and time management.

Educationists claim private institutions had begun demanding huge fees for their coaching services, which subsequently led to commercialisation of education, a development where profits and money are given more preference than education, thereby pushing poor students into a disadvantageous situation.