“You Cleared It Because You Have a Brain”: Himanta Biswa Sarma Warns APSC Toppers Against Promoting Coaching Centres

Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday strongly criticised the growing trend of successful candidates endorsing coaching institutes after clearing the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) Combined Competitive Examination (CCE), calling it a “bad habit” that undermines individual merit.

Speaking while handing over appointment letters to newly selected candidates, the Chief Minister said,

“I have noticed some candidates who, after clearing the exam, start endorsing the coaching institute where they studied. This is completely a bad habit because we are not a product.”

He stressed that candidates should take pride in their own intelligence and hard work rather than attributing their success to coaching centres.

“If we advertise coaching centres, then we are defaming our own merit. It’s as if we didn’t clear APSC because of our own merit, but because someone taught us a few things like a parrot — that’s why we got it,” he said.

The Chief Minister added that some candidates publicly claim they succeeded solely because they studied at a particular institute.

“Some candidates even say with pride that we cleared the exam because we studied in that particular institute. I don’t agree with this. You cleared it because you have a brain,” he remarked.

Raising concerns about the perception of transparency in recruitment, Sarma warned that excessive promotion of coaching centres could create doubts about corruption-free appointments.

“Now people will think that corruption-free appointment means appointment through the coaching institute,” he said.

He also expressed apprehension that, if such practices continue, allegations might arise against examination bodies in the future.

“After a few days, allegations will be on members of APSC or UPSC that they are taking bribe not from candidates but from coaching institutes,” he cautioned.

Calling for systemic changes, the Chief Minister urged coaching centres to rethink their approach and advised the APSC to frame questions that cannot be predicted or narrowly coached.

“I will request the APSC memebers to develop a system where questions are set from what’s not taught in the coaching institutes,” he said.
“I will request APSC to not have any particular syllabus next time. Go for finer details of events. Ask questions that can’t be taught by coaching institutes.”

Sarma made it clear that he does not want coaching to become a dominant business culture in the state.

“I don’t want an environment in Assam where coaching is a business. You are not giving money to APSC now, but to coaching centres. I don’t want a culture like this in Assam,” he stated.

In a direct appeal to the newly appointed officers, he urged them to distance themselves from promotional activities linked to coaching institutes.

“If you have any banner of any institutes anywhere with your name, please ensure that they disappear by today evening itself,” he said.

The remarks have sparked discussions across the state regarding the role of coaching institutes in competitive examinations and the importance of preserving merit-based, transparent recruitment systems in Assam.

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