In an address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a dedicated national initiative to offer free online coaching to youth preparing for competitive examinations. Reaching out directly to student aspirants and middle-class households, the Prime Minister spoke candidly about the steep commercialisation taking over the coaching industry across the country.
He observed that sky-high tuition fees, coupled with the heavy living expenses of relocating to crowded coaching hubs, have turned competitive test preparation into a crushing financial burden for ordinary families. Modi pointed out how intense social pressure often makes parents feel that if they cannot afford expensive private coaching institutes, their children will be left behind.
To break down this disparity, the central government is setting up a comprehensive digital learning network that will bring top-tier teaching and comprehensive test preparation directly to students' screens. The goal is to democratise quality education so that candidates from small towns, villages, and economically vulnerable backgrounds can study from the comfort of their homes without taking on debt or leaving their families behind.
The announcement also aligns with a wider youth-focused agenda unveiled during the speech, including plans to skill one crore citizens in artificial intelligence and upgrade overall educational infrastructure. Emphasising that financial limitations should never dictate a student’s career trajectory or crush their ambition, the Prime Minister asserted that cutting out the thousands of crores spent annually on private coaching will empower the next generation to compete on a fair, merit-driven playing field for higher education and public sector recruitment.