COLLAPSE OF A COACHING CAPITAL

With the government intent on an education that promotes critical thinking rather than the rote learning coaching institutes foster, Kota's already beleaguered coaching industry suffers another blow

- By ROHIT PARIHAR

On June 3, coaching centres in Kota—the quiet industrial town on the banks of the Chambal in Rajasthan—proudly celebrated their students' success in national entrance examinations for top engineering colleges. But the mood was subdued, and the celebrations quieter than usual.

The coaching capital of India seems to have lost its mojo in the past few years. Gone are the lanes teeming with students in coaching centre uniforms, the packed restaurants serving burgers, vadas and omelettes, and the 'no vacancy' signs at paying guest (PG) accommodations in coveted neighbourhoods such as Rajiv Gandhi Nagar and Landmark City. Student enrolments are down, as is the revenue of coaching institutes, forcing many of them to shut down unremunerative centres or open new ones in other cities. A spate of student suicides have dealt an additional blow, ending the city’s dream run as the coaching capital of the country. With that, the entire ecosystem it had nurtured has also collapsed—the hostels offering PG accommodations, the mess operators providing meals to students and their families, besides the several ancillary services.