New Delhi : Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi government over its proposed free online coaching initiative, alleging that the announcement was made under growing public pressure and that the government’s poor record in implementing an existing free coaching scheme raised serious questions about its ability to deliver on the new promise.
In a post on social media platform X, Ramesh referred to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s address at the ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ event in Kota on June 17, 2026, where he had raised concerns over the growing dominance of the coaching industry and what the Congress described as the weakening of the public education system.
Ramesh said Rahul Gandhi had highlighted one of the most important challenges facing education in India today, arguing that an “extractive coaching industry” had supplanted the public education system and that Indian families were spending 2.5 times more on coaching centres than the Government of India was investing in education.
“It was this disclosure that forced the Prime Minister — in a desperate attempt to escape growing public pressure — to announce free online coaching for students on 15th August,” Ramesh said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address from the Red Fort on August 15, had announced free online coaching for students preparing for competitive examinations, presenting the initiative as part of the government’s efforts to expand educational opportunities and support young aspirants across the country.
However, Ramesh said the Modi government’s record in implementing its existing Free Coaching scheme did not inspire confidence. He cited findings contained in the latest report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which was tabled on August 10, 2026.
According to Ramesh, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment had set a target of enrolling 10,500 candidates for free coaching over a three-year period but had managed to enrol only 2,790 students, or around 26 per cent of the target.
“The budget for this scheme has reduced every year and last year’s spending was less than half the budget,” he said, describing the findings as “startling facts” revealed by the parliamentary panel.
The Congress leader alleged that instead of undertaking fundamental reforms to address what he described as a broken education system and strengthening public education, the government was choosing to invest public resources in online coaching.
“Rather than fundamentally fix India’s broken education system or re-invest in public education, the Prime Minister has decided to instead invest public resources in online coaching,” Ramesh said.
Calling the proposed initiative an “accountability-evading gimmick”, he alleged that the government had already demonstrated limited capacity to successfully implement such schemes.
The Congress has repeatedly targeted the government over the rising dependence of students on private coaching institutes, arguing that the increasing financial burden on families reflects shortcomings in the public education system.
The latest remarks come amid an intensifying political debate over access to quality education, the cost of competitive examination preparation and the government’s responsibility to strengthen schools, colleges and other public educational institutions.
