The Higher Education Department of Tamil Nadu has initiated steps to open four coaching centres to train students from economically weak backgrounds for competitive examinations.
The centres will be opened in Chennai, Coimbatore, Salem and Madurai cities. In a letter sent to all government arts and sciences colleges this week, C. Jothi Venkateswaran, Directorate of Collegiate Education (Full Additional Charge), has asked for a list of Assistant Professors who are eligible and willing to be moved to the posts of Assistant Professors to be created in these centres.
A senior official from the Higher Education Department said that these centres will help the students to train for competitive exams from an early stage and actively pursue government jobs as a career choice.
The State government already provides coaching for civil services examination through the centres run by All India Civil Service Coaching Centre, which is part of Anna Institute of Management.
Apart from this, IAS Coaching Centres are also run in Queen Mary’s College in Chennai and Sri Meenakshi Government Arts College for Women in Madurai. However, these two colleges do not have dedicated staff for the coaching centres, because of which sources in these colleges said that there was not adequate focus towards the centres.
“Moreover, all these existing centres focus on the civil services examination. In the new centres to be set up, the idea is to focus on other competitive examinations as well,” the official said.
Welcoming the move, S. Suresh, Joint Secretary (General), Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers’ Association, said that it will be a boon for students from rural areas, particularly in Coimbatore, Salem and Madurai districts.
“I hope the programme will be executed in such a way that students right from first year can undergo coaching,” he said. He added that gradually at least one such centre must be established in each district.
