The unchecked scam of UPSC coaching

CHENNAI: Every year, hundreds of new aspirants from across the State move to the Anna Nagar neighbourhood to pursue their dream of becoming an IAS officer. They’re all set for the gruelling schedule of studying innumerable hours at coaching centres dotting the area.

But only a few clear the exams and most aspirants are caught in the web for years – barely managing to keep the dream alive.

For the pride of clearing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the price many aspirants pay is not just limited to finances, but also mental and physical health, and losing productive years on preparations among others. Instances of parents pledging jewellery and/or land and dissolving their life savings to pay hefty admission fees to the ‘top-graded IAS academies’ are common.

False promises

Malar (25), a UPSC aspirant from Virudhunagar, shifted to Chennai in 2018. She was lured into a popular coaching institute through its regional awareness programme that promised aspirants a 50% discount on spot admission. “I paid Rs 1.50 lakh fees and an additional Rs 30,000 for an optional paper. My father, a teacher, struggled to pay such a hefty amount and had to give up his savings,” she said.

Initially, classes were resourceful. But soon, a frequent change of faculties, and delay in providing course materials, among other concerns began cropping up gradually. “All UPSC institutes make tall promises when aspirants reach out for admissions, but the reality is far from true. For Rs 1.50 lakh fees for coaching, we barely get any sort of right training or mentoring. Unfortunately, most of us realise that only after joining institutes,” rued Malar.

Likewise, Nitin (26) from Villupuram, finished his 11-month coaching at a centre in Anna Nagar by paying Rs 1.40 lakh in 2018. “The first year is like shooting in the dark. We’re unaware of the exam pattern, the number of years it takes to clear it and the actual cost of preparations. These crucial details are deliberately hidden from us while joining an institute,” he said. In the case of UPSC, there are two papers in prelims – general studies (6 subjects) and Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT). The second round – mains – has 9 papers. Clearing them qualifies you for the final interview in New Delhi. Most institutes coach aspirants only for prelims. For the mains, only a few topics are taught. But the 11-month coaching is marketed by IAS institutes for both prelims and mains for fees that range anywhere between Rs 80,000 and Rs 1.60 lakh. For CSAT coaching, it’s an additional Rs 20,000.

Exorbitant fees

While Malar and Nitin paid over a lakh in 2018 for coaching, it used to be only Rs 10,000 – Rs 18,000 in 2011-12.

In 2011, Pradeep (33) from Madurai paid Rs 12,000 as admission fees at an institute here. He says that the fee or the business mentality of owners was less competitive unlike now. “When I came to Chennai, there were no ‘posh’ institutes then. The surge into government jobs began due to the 2008 job crisis, when ITs and BPOs began firing employees, raising concerns over job security,” he noted.

Though many institutes initially offered coaching as a service, things became different when CSAT was introduced as a part of UPSC in 2011. “As the number of institutes rose, it became competitive, and the owners had to make money. They jacked up the fees to Rs 1.50 lakh in 2022 from Rs 12,000 in 2011,” Pradeep explained. “I did not receive books or other benefits in 2011 that the new aspirants get now.” Narmada (31) joined a coaching centre in 2012 and paid Rs 18,000 as admission fees. But after 8 years of preparations, Narmada says, she has spent close to Rs 2 lakh in joining courses alone. “Between 2014 and 2021, I had spent an average Rs 3 lakh a year for civil service preparations, food, travel and accommodation,” she lamented. Narmada fumes that the fee they charge is needlessly overpriced – that too with a ‘no return policy on admission fee’. “Even if the aspirant decides to withdraw in the first few weeks or months, the institutes will not return the money. This policy has hurt so many young aspirants, who later realised, they cannot afford to continue studying or clear the exam,” she said.

Marketing is key

With over 50 IAS institutes in the city, and nearly 80% in Anna Nagar alone, the competition to lure aspirants is tactical and appalling. These include targeting students in colleges, bringing in reputed bureaucrats, politicians, and prominent policymakers to get both the attention of aspirants and to build a brand.

Nitin pointed out, “Some institutes attract aspirants based on the brand, while a few institutes market themselves with the names of bureaucrats associated with them or by collaborating with newly passed-out aspirants.”

While big institutes can afford expensive marketing, the smaller ones thrive by berating the biggies. “Faculties of these smaller institutes often pass sarcastic comments on other institutes. In a way, word-of-mouth too is an effective marketing strategy,” pointed out Nithin.

One of the bizarre marketing tactics is institutes uniformly taking credit. Navya (28) from Tiruchy said, “After clearing prelims, all aspirants attend the free mock tests at different institutes, which ask for a photo, address and registration number. And if the aspirant clears the mains, all these institutes will claim that the candidate is from their institute.”

Side hustle

Pradeep spent 7 years preparing and writing multiple rounds of UPSC exams. To reduce the burden on the family, he has been working as a freelance faculty at multiple institutes for the last 4 years.

“My IAS preparations were financially troubling my family. So, I decided to start teaching,” recalled Pradeep. “It helps me stay relevant in the field and gives me time to prepare for the exams.” Narmada too has been teaching at an institute for the last couple of years, earning Rs 14,000 a month for taking 9 classes.

During the pandemic, many senior aspirants resorted to online coaching, charging Rs 2,000 per class. “My roommates, who are senior aspirants, began taking online classes for younger aspirants. Some still continue to take classes,” said Nitin. Aspirants added that employing senior aspirants affects the standard of coaching. “About 90% of faculties in IAS coaching centres in Anna Nagar are senior aspirants. Though they might have the knowledge, they do not possess the skill to take classes. Also, they tend to quit in a few months or years, ultimately affecting the quality of coaching,” noted several new aspirants.

Creating an ecosystem

Around these coaching centres in Anna Nagar are several other businesses that have been thriving.

In the case of accommodations, there is a constant rise in the rent price of hostels, paying guests (PGs) and houses. Many home-made food businesses have also made a strong presence here, while book shops and study halls, which charge by the hour, make a decent profit.

“There’s a list of accommodations stuck on the front of the institute, with a disclaimer that the management has no connection with the landlords. But we know that both parties benefit through us,” said Narmada. The rent at these places ranges between Rs 7,000-10,000. The ordeal they have to go through has made new aspirants become realistic about their dreams. “If an aspirant fails to clear the UPSC or TNPSC within 2 years, it’s better to start looking for Plan B but persist on the exam. With information readily available these days, spending productive years on an exam feels rather foolish,” said Pradeep, who has almost spent over a decade preparing for civil service.

There is constant rise in hostel, PGs and house rent. Many home-made food businesses in and around Anna Nagar, and book shops and study halls that charge by the hour have also been making good profit

(Names of aspirants changed on request)

EXPERTS SEEK GOVT-RUN CENTRES ACROSS TN, REGULATORY BODY

Commenting on the mushrooming of private institutes, an official part of the government-run All India Civil Service Coaching Centre (AICSCC) noted that there were no private IAS institutes in the State about 2030 years ago. The private sector grew rapids due to the limited seats in AICSCC and the high-income group’s refusal to enrol their children in government institutes, he said.

“Private institutes have created an assumption that it is impossible to clear civil service without their coaching. Parents and aspirants have fallen for that. These institutes keep aspirants in dilemma, spending money and years on multiple attempts,” the official criticised.

One way to tackle this is for universities across the State to conduct coaching, he opined. “We need more government coaching academies, not just in Chennai, but in every district,” he suggested.

An official working at a private institute offering free coaching in Anna Nagar agrees that institutes indulge in marketing tactics to lure aspirants. According to him, though the syllabus and quality of coaching are the same in both free and paid institutes, many are ready to pay the amount, thus making UPSC a costlier affair.

“A few institutes do resort to unethical tactics to attract aspirants. As they largely function as educational institutions, it is imperative to have a regulatory body,” he said.

Welcoming the suggestion for a regulatory body to monitor institutes, Israel Jebasingh, a former IAS officer and founder of Officers IAS academy, Anna Nagar, said: “A regulatory body will insist on following guidelines and other rules. This will ensure transparency,” said Jebasingh.

When asked about overcharging aspirants, he said his institute charges only 50-60 per cent (Rs 1.70 lakh) of what institutes in Delhi collect.

“Our efforts are to keep the coaching more service-oriented. We give free coaching to those in need. But to run an academy that delivers the best coaching, I will need money to employ the best [faculty].”

However, S Chandru, head of academies at Shankar IAS Academy, Anna Nagar, said the industry is wholly market-driven, contending that the fee that his institute charges is justified.

Going by industry standards, the senior-most faculty at any branch of the institution is paid several lakhs per month, while the salary for freelancers ranges from Rs 1,800 to Rs 20,000. Besides, the institute also foots their accommodation, food and travel expenses.

The institute has also set up a slew of teams that did not exist earlier. “We spent Rs 1.45 lakh to set up a team that will sort out new articles from newspapers for aspirants to read, while Rs 3 lakh is spent every month to run a YouTube channel,” he said.

An aspirant who pays Rs 1.50 lakh for one year is entitled to 1,000 hours of classroom sessions, 130 tests, a personal attendee and guest lectures. “Earlier, we could run an academy with just four people. Now we have 300 staff to run so many activities. We did not decide these factors, the market did,” Chandru said.

He also disagreed with the suggestion to set up a regulatory body, stating that it was the sector was transparent.

Earlier, we could run an academy with just four people. Now we need 300 staff. We did not decide these factors, the market did

—S Chandru, Shankar IAS Academy