Yogi: Why go to Kota? Students will benefit from free coaching in UP
LUCKNOW : Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday launched the UP governmentrun Abhyuday free coaching scheme that will prepare students for competitive exams.
Describing it as a gamechanger just like the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme, he said it would change the face of the state in times to come.
While private coaching only provided lectures by subject teachers, under Abhyuday, students will not only learn from teachers, but will also gain from interactions with IAS, IPS, IFS officers, doctors and IT experts who have cracked competitive exams in the past and carry several years of field experience, he said.
“Abhyuday scheme is a path pradarshak (guiding light) for holistic development,” he said.
“I can say with great confidence that in next two-three years, UP students will do well in various competitive exams,” he added.
“Many students from Uttar Pradesh go to Kota and other places to prepare for several competitive examinations for better prospects. Now, with the launch of free coaching (in UP), poor students will benefit a lot from this initiative,” he said, addressing the beneficiaries via
video conference.
“When about 30,000 UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) aspirants were stuck in Kota and Prayagraj due to Covid, we got messages from students who wanted to come home. The Rajasthan government refused to provide buses. We made arrangements to bring them back to the state. I was so happy to see the joy on their faces,” he said.
“Coaching classes begin tomorrow. I want to assure everyone that these classes will help them achieve their goals,” Yogi Adityanath added.
Highlighting the popularity of the scheme, the chief minister said nearly five million (50 lakh) people had visited the Abhyuday portal, more than five lakh (500,000) youths had registered themselves and over 50,000 students had been shortlisted who would attend free physical classes beginning from February 16 on the Basant Panchami day in all the 18 divisional headquarters of the state. Gradually, it will be introduced in all 75 districts in a phased manner.
The remaining 4.5 lakh students would attend virtual classes. There is a provision for regular screening of students by holding weekly and monthly tests.
To a question by Kapil Dubey, a beneficiary from Varanasi, on how the idea to start free coaching emerged, the chief minister said, “It has been seen that UP students were lagging behind in cracking UPSC examinations; also, considering the agony of thousands of youths who got stuck in Kota during Covid-19 where they went for coaching. It was then we decided to give this free coaching facility to our students.”
Yogi Adityanath also said, “UP youths are very talented but still they were lagging behind in competitive exams. I asked officials to find out the reasons. Following that, we decided to launch this scheme.”
He assured the youths of the state that the government will continue to give wings to their aspirations.
He advised the aspirants to prepare for exams with immense hardwork and dedication without any fear of failure.
The free coaching will be for examinations conducted by Union Public Service Commission, Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission/Subordinate Service Selection Commission/ other recruitment boards / institutions. It will also be for examinations of JEE (Mains) and NEET conducted by NTA, NDA, CDS, other military services, recruitment of paramilitary / central police force, PO, SSC, B.Ed, TET and other competitive examinations, main examinations and interviews of Union Public Service Commission/ Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission. Deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma applauded the platform as an “impeccable” and “extremely innovative” effort towards empowering the youth. He said the state government had provided jobs to four lakh youths in four years in a most transparent manner.
Social welfare minister Ramapathi Shastri acknowledged the government’s vision through this scheme of providing quality education to uplift the deprived sections and called it the medium of “Antyodaya”.
HC Verma, a Padma Shri awardee and well-known author of many physics book, said the scheme would pave the way for making the state aatmanirbhar (self-reliant). Chief secretary RK Tiwari, Lucknow divisional commissioner Ranjan Kumar and other officials were also present on the occasion.