Kota (Rajasthan): A sharp decline in student enrolments has dealt a severe blow to Rajasthan's Kota, India's coaching hub, impacting its local economy and triggering an aggressive marketing push by coaching institutes.

Once drawing over 2 lakh students annually, admissions fell to around 85,000-1 lakh in 2024, industry insiders said. “Nearly 60% of hostels are vacant, and at least nine branches of top coaching centres have closed. Over one lakh people lost jobs last year,” a senior professor from a leading institute told ANI.

Institutes like Allen Career Institute confirm a 20-25% drop this season. Bansal Classes' general manager Akhilesh Jain noted, “While our national admissions have grown by 15%, enrolment in Kota centres has halved.”

Experts attribute the drop to multiple factors: the expansion of coaching chains to students' home states, cost-saving by parents, the popularity of affordable online platforms like Physics Wallah and Unacademy, and rising concerns over student suicides—24 deaths were reported in 2023 alone.

The downturn has hit Kota's ancillary businesses hardest. “I have only half my hostel beds occupied. Premium hostels have cut prices by 40%,” said Sunil Agarwal, owner of Coral Girls Heights. The Kota Hostel Association says many hostel owners have diversified into textiles, real estate and hotels to survive.

Auto drivers, mess workers and shopkeepers are reeling under debt, with some unable to return to farming after selling ancestral land.

In response, hostel contracts have become flexible, suicide prevention measures have strengthened, and the district administration is monitoring student well-being closely.

Despite these efforts, experts fear the golden era may be over. “It feels like a dead end now,” said a veteran professor.