Recruitment drives spurred coaching boom in Gujarat

GANDHINAGAR: After a gap of a decade, GPSC exams for class I & II posts were announced in 2011. But since 2014, the state government has initiated major recruitment drives. In 2016-17, the government made a record of sorts when 17,532 Lok Rakshak Dal (LRD) jawans were recruited at one go — forming about 15% of Gujarat’s total police force!
While the drive for recruiting for 80,000-odd government jobs provided successful candidates a chance to fulfil their dream, it spawned an equally successful career for another set of people: teachers and owners of coaching classes.
Before each major drive, the aspirants are bombarded with the sales pitch of classes that boast of retired and serving class I officers as faculty members or guides. Rough estimates suggest that the industry — comprising such elements as classes, hostels/reading rooms, libraries, and reading material — makes Rs 500 crore annually.
Praful Gadhvi, a coaching class owner, said: “There are 172 coaching classes in Gandhinagar alone, teaching more than 20,000 students focused on government recruitments.” He said if Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara and other centres were taken into account, the number of students can reach several lakhs. “Average fees charged would be around Rs 30,000,” he said.
A Gandhinagar teacher, who had cracked class III exams twice but chose to concentrate on coaching, said: “There is a joke in many communities of Gujarat that a talati will find it easier to get married than a software engineer!” He said many are inspired by relatives who are already in government service, and for many others a government job means power. “But unfortunately, the numbers don’t reflect talent or the job market,” he said. “If one analyzes successful candidates, about 25-35% will be the same in every exam. Their resignation from an existing job for a new one renders the lengthy recruitment process useless.”