Can free public technology break the private coaching industry?

Source: The post “Can free public technology break the private coaching industry?” has been created based on “Can free public technology break the private coaching industry?” published in “The Hindu” on 21 August 2026. Can free public technology break the private coaching industry?

UPSC Syllabus: GS 2- Governance

Context: The government’s proposed free online coaching through Digital Public Infrastructure has the potential to democratise access to competitive examination preparation. However, private coaching provides not merely content but a structured and competitive learning ecosystem.

Potential benefits:

• Educational equity: It can reduce the financial burden on poor and middle-class families and overcome geographical barriers.
• Personalised learning: Agentic AI can provide customised content, rapid feedback and multiple learning formats.
• Exam-oriented preparation: Specialised modules can develop problem-solving, time management and test-taking strategies required for JEE, NEET and other competitive examinations.
• Last-mile access: Smart boards, offline content and satellite connectivity can extend quality coaching to remote areas.

Challenges:

• Digital divide: Poor internet connectivity, electricity shortages and inadequate devices can exclude disadvantaged students.
• Content versus coaching: Merely uploading lectures may create another video library without structured learning.
• Lack of mentorship: Technology cannot completely substitute teachers who provide academic and emotional support.
• Assessment gap: Students require regular tests, doubt resolution, performance tracking and personalised feedback.
• Exam diversity: JEE, NEET and UPSC have different patterns and skill requirements; a single common curriculum may dilute quality.
• Quality assurance: Maintaining consistently high-quality faculty and content across numerous national-level examinations would be difficult.

Way forward:

• Develop exam-specific digital platforms with structured courses, assessments, doubt-solving and progress tracking.
• Use AI-based personalised learning while retaining human teachers and mentors.
• Establish school-based skill hubs for periodic physical mentoring and peer learning.
• Provide offline/downloadable content and community digital centres in areas with weak connectivity.
• Build a common foundation for reasoning, language and general awareness while retaining specialised modules for individual examinations.
• Ensure continuous monitoring, independent evaluation and student feedback to maintain quality.

Conclusion: Free public technology can weaken excessive dependence on private coaching only when it replicates the complete coaching ecosystem—content, testing, feedback, mentorship and peer learning. A technology-first but human-centred hybrid model can make competitive examination preparation more equitable and accessible.

Question: “Free online coaching through India’s Digital Public Infrastructure can reduce dependence on private coaching, but access to lectures alone cannot address the deeper structural problems of competitive examination preparation.” Discuss.

Source: The Hindu