Daltonganj: A free coaching centre for competitive exams run under Nilamber-Pitamber University here is giving stiff competition to the mushrooming private coaching shops in the town.
Named Government Poor Students Coaching (GPSC) and running since 2017-18, the centre is catering to its second batch of students now.
Eligibility is simple. Final-year students of UG or PG enrolled in NPU, whose family income is less than Rs 1 lakh a year, are eligible to apply for the 100 seats at GPSC. The university shortlists applicants, said Satyendra Narain Singh, vice chancellor.
"The rush has been enormous ever since the state department of higher, technical education and skill development granted the varsity funds to run the free coaching institute for competitive exams," he said.
He added that they offered coaching for entrance exams such as School Service Commission as well as banking, railways, insurance, health and retailing/marketing sectors.
Classes are from 7am to 10am in summer and 8am to 10am in winter so that regular university classes are not hampered, the VC said.
A faculty member who takes a class at the coaching centre gets Rs 500 per lecture, the VC added.
For students like Ranjan Yadav, who is doing his final-year BA Hindi honours, the coaching class is a great boon. "It helps us get focussed. But, we want more stress on current affairs, in which we are lagging behind students of metros," he said.
Private coaching centres are feeling the pinch. "Since the centre under the varsity charges no fee, students who come to us ask for hefty cuts in fees," said one.
The VC, who also takes classes at the coaching centre, enjoys the experience. "Students here (in Palamau) need impetus and forceful motivation to crack competitive examinations for various jobs," Singh said.
He recently lectured coaching students on the fundamentals of computer science, he added. "When I asked students if they understood (what I taught) or it went a little over their heads, they said they understood," he said.
But, he has one regret. "Students who prepare for competitive exams are not regular in their normal classes."
