Can free public technology break the private coaching industry?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a government initiative to provide free online coaching for competitive exams to improve educational equity. Experts debate whether this digital infrastructure can effectively challenge the dominance of the private, elite coaching industry.
Why it matters
The initiative addresses the high cost of education and the systemic dependency on private tutoring for competitive exam success in India.
I n his 2026 Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the government will roll out free online coaching for competitive exams using India’s digital public infrastructure. The announcement was made in a bid to reach out to the Gen-Z youth, especially following the widespread student protests against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak. The objective of the PM’s announcement was to save poor and middle-class families thousands of crores while also helping students prepare without leaving their homes. However, can free public technology break the private coaching industry? Buddha Chandrasekhar and Anubhav Shrivastava discuss the question in a conversation moderated by Maitri Porecha .
How do you view the announcement made by PM Modi to provide free online coaching?
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