Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (September 8) said the government was working on alleviating the fee burden faced by families of students preparing
for competitive examinations by offering free-of-cost coaching, according to a PTI report. Speaking at the ‘NaMo for Viksit Bharat’ programme, where he laid foundation stones for Rs 35,000 crore-worth development projects, the PM mentioned the announcement he had made in his August 15 Red Fort speech in this regard. “You are aware that lakhs of young people prepare for competitive examinations. Every year, a significant portion of our families’ earnings is spent on coaching for these students,” Modi said, according to the news agency. “We aim to save money for the families of poor and middle-class students. Consequently, the government is moving towards providing free online coaching, allowing our youth to prepare under the guidance of India’s best teachers. The government itself will oversee this coaching arrangement,” he added. The PM noted that evolving global needs also transformed the approach to education, with skills now given equal weightage as degrees. Consequently, the government was reworking the education policy and institutions, he said. The PM remarked that Artificial Intelligence expertise would expand beyond the IIT sector, extending into agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing and robotics startups. He said India was witnessing an “extraordinary era”, while urging the youth to prioritise the goal of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.
From Free Coaching To Sports Talent Hunt Campaign, What PM Announced On I-Day
Free online coaching for numerous competitive examinations was announced by PM Modi during his I-Day speech. He also declared that 1 crore youth would be trained in AI over the next year through a nationwide mission mode, along with a countrywide Sports Talent Hunt campaign targeting children aged 5-15 years in villages and cities.
Highlighting the development of the education sector, he said that the country added 650 new universities in the last decade and more than doubled the number of medical seats since 2014.
(With PTI Inputs)
