On February 11, at a building in Armenian Street, All India Insurance Employees Union will welcome a new batch of candidates aspiring to find employment through the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission examination. This building also houses the office of CPI (M) and Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front.
As in director Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail, one can find heart-warming stories of grit, perseverance and resilience at Dr Ambedkar Education and Employment Centre, which has been offering free coaching for over a decade.
Janani G, a Union Public Service Commission aspirant and a tutor at this centre, is among those who will be giving an introduction to TNPSC for the new batch.
An engineering graduate, Janani could not afford the fee charged by private IAS academies. She discontinued after a year of coaching to turn tutor-volunteer at this centre.
“You must not accept defeat easily whatever be the situation around you, and I will be sharing my story at the meeting,” says Janani, who takes classes in current affairs and polity. She has made three attempts in civil service, has a part-time job and is determined to crack a central government job from the general category.
All India Insurance Employees Union began by offering free coaching in 2009 in Coimbatore for candidates seeking to build a career in Banking, Insurance and the Railway. In 2012, they expanded to Chennai and other districts adding TNPSC coaching as well.
With just 900 sq. ft., the centre is a modest facility. It comes with a wide collection of books, a projector and a photocopy machine. It has been sustained over the years by the goodwill of many well-wishers who help in cash or kind. Classes are offered only during weekends from 9.30 a.m. till 5 p.m.
“In the initial years we brought faculty from coaching centres but we could not afford to pay them, so now whoever helps here is a volunteer not expecting any money,” says N. Vasudevan, LIC employee who is Chennai coordinator for the centre.
They currently have more than 15 UPSC aspirants who serve as faculty besides retired bankers and LIC Class I officers.
A majority of the candidates coming here are from the outskirts of the city. “Some have so much perseverance that it does not matter if they do not get accommodation. Many cannot afford a good meal. They refresh at the washrooms in the centre and eat from Amma canteens,” says Vasudevan. Nivas M., working as Revenue Inspector, has been associated with the centre for more than four years. He has attended the weekend classes for internal promotions. “One thing that I learnt interacting with people here is the importance of upholding integrity at work,” says Nivas, referring to the recognitions he received.
Knowledge centre
Students and alumni say the space is a knowledge centre. There are successful alumni taking classes talking about the mistakes they have made. “Group discussion is the highlight and this being a closed space everyone opens up,” says Janani, adding that she has been learning a lot in the process.
Vasudevan says the centre has more than 1000 alumni who are placed in jobs in various government sectors. One of them is Rosy A. who has received the selection letter for the post of Assistant Statistical Investigator in Tamil Nadu General Subordinate Service.
But it is not a cake walk. “It takes an average of two to three years to sometimes clear Group I/IV examination,” says Janani. “It’s a lot of hardwork.”
For details, call 9444162198/ 9444641712.
Academies offering free coaching for TNPSC
Thanks to a government grant, The People’s Educational Trust/Dr. Ambedkar Academy is able to give free accommodation besides coaching for 70 candidates since September 2023.
The Academy offers coaching for students from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, who are appearing for the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) Group II main examination.
“Many of the students are economically disadvantaged and come to the city to chase their dream of finding a government job,” says G. Chellappan, managing trustee of the Academy and a retired IAS officer.
He says the Trust was started by A. Padmanabhan, former chief secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu, to uplift students from the SC/ST communities.
“We do not have our own faculty but experts from other institutes offers classes here,” says Chellappan.
The Academy runs with the goodwill of many donors including the library that has over 2000 books donated by an engineer. The Academy continues to guide students for various examinations conducted by TNPSC.
The Academy is located at 24th Street, Kaveri Colony, Anna Nagar East.
For details, call 9841224946.
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Any first-generation undergraduate is welcome to Thadam Training Academy at BB Road, Vysarpadi.
The centre is run by non-profit Gold Heart Foundation to help women get into government jobs through TNPSC and other competitive examinations.
Open from 10 a.m. to 8.30 p.m., the facility has a library stocked with a range of books. Besides, computers with access to eBooks and WiFi are among the other features on tap.
The Academy is starting a fresh batch soon and invites interested women with a SSLC certificate to avail the free coaching.
For details, contact 9884663123.