Rajesh Maheshwari, founder director at Allen Career Institute, has acknowledged that admissions to Kota-based educational institutions have declined this year.
In a note to educators, as seen by Entrackr, Maheshwari stated that admissions this year so far are down by nearly 31% compared to the previous year. He, however, attributed this decline to “disinformation” [translated from Hindi] against the city of Kota.
Maheshwari disclosed that there have been 46,000 admissions in the medical quota, which is down by nearly 33% from the previous year. Similarly, there have been less than 24,000 admissions in the IIT category compared to 33,000 last year.
He added that total admissions are less than 80,000 this year, compared to 115,000 last year.
“We stood together during a tough situation like COVID and showed the world why Kota is the frontrunner…,” Maheshwari said in the note [loosely translated from Hindi].
“Allen has performed well in all examination categories… There has been good work in the areas of student care too, which has helped reduce disinformation,” he added.
It is worth noting that the admissions rates have been declining for a while. In September 2023, The Ken reported that Kota saw nearly a 20% decline in student admissions since June 2023.
Kota, a city in Rajasthan, has become a major hub for students from across the country preparing for competitive exams, such as IIT or medical entrance tests. Institutions like Allen have been pioneers in establishing the city as an educational hub. The coaching industry is pegged to be worth Rs 6,000 crore.
But there is a dark side to the city as well. While there is always a rush to get admissions in such institutions, the city is now mushroomed with small-sized hostels and paying guests. Moreover, there have been accusations of putting a high pressure on students to perform. In 2023, as many as 23 students died by suicide. It is worth noting that this number was 15 in 2022.
In a bizzaire order in 2023, local administration ordered hostels to install a spring device on ceiling fans, dubbed as ‘anti-suicide’ device.
Maheshwari’s comments come amid ongoing controversies over cancellations of several key examinations over paper leaks. There have been sporadic protests as well.
As far as the Kota factory goes (pun intended), we’re likely to see city-based institutes offer more lucrative facilities, discounts, and other incentives to retain students and compete with each other. However, we’re not very sure if this will address the real despair of aspirational students in the country.
We have reached out to Rajesh Maheshwari to understand more about the admissions and efforts to improve students’ care. We will update the copy as soon as we hear from him.
