Raipur: Coaching institutions meant to help tribal students excel in examinations are to close in Chhattisgarh as they did not attract even a single student.

Specifically, the coaching centres were designed to aid students to do well in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the State Public Service Commission (SPSC) examinations.

The decision to close down the centres, which came up in 2006 in Raipur and Jagdalpur, was taken because not even one aspirant enrolled at either centre.

But the government ended up spending Rs.3.5 million on them.

"The tribal welfare department has received an order letter from the state government to close the centres," said N.R. Sahu, deputy commissioner with the department of tribal welfare.

He said, "The whole thought behind the scheme was to give solid coaching to poor tribal students to help them excel in the competitive exams using government funds."

The government had even set up hostels, Sahu said. IANS