Free Coaching Scheme Gets Top Priority After PM’s Independence Day Speech
August 20, 2026
The Centre is planning to roll out free coaching for NEET and JEE students as early as October 2. This is one of the youth-related announcements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address that the government is treating with high priority. Ministries has already started preparing the implementation framework for the free coaching programme.
Focus on Students from Weaker Sections and Remote Areas
For many students who appear for NEET and JEE, the real race begin not in the exam hall but in the coaching classroom. Access to good coaching often depend on where the student live and how much the family can afford. The government is now designing its free coaching network to fill this gap. It will first cover the two high-stakes entrance tests and give priority to students from economically weaker families and areas where quality coaching is limited.
AI-Based Platform Being Built by Three Ministries
A blueprint has been prepared for a technology and AI-enabled learning platform. The platform will be jointly developed by the ministries of electronics and information technology (MeitY), skill development and education. MeitY and the skill development ministry will build the platform while the education ministry will provide academic support by pooling teaching resources from schools, universities and other institutions.
Not Only Online Classes
Officials said the framework will not stay limited to online classes only. In later stages it will also include offline and computer-based access for areas where internet connectivity is weak. The network is expected to later cover university entrance tests and recruitment examinations as well.
The main objective is to reduce the gap between students who can afford private coaching and those who depend on schools, self-study or local options. In his Independence Day speech the Prime Minister had linked the initiative to the financial pressure that private coaching put on middle-class families. He said a huge burden has been placed on them and every parent feel that if the child is not sent to a coaching class they are not from a prestigious family.
