Catholic Church in India expands coaching to prepare youth for civil service exams

As the Church in India faces mounting pressures, the Archdiocese of Delhi is quietly opening doors for young people chasing the countryʼs most coveted jobs and university seats.

Catholic Church leaders in Indiaʼs capital are expanding an educational mentoring program to help young people compete for government jobs and university admissions.

The Archdiocese of Delhi has broadened its youth coaching initiative to prepare students for Indiaʼs most competitive examinations, including the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exam for government posts, the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for university admissions, and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination for elite civil service tracks such as the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Foreign Service.

The program grew out of career-orientation and awareness sessions that the archdioceseʼs Commission for the Laity has run for young people since May 2022 at Yusuf Sadan, covering fields such as government service, the civil services, law and the judiciary, the private and creative sectors, the armed forces, and information technology.

In September 2024, as part of preparations for the 2025 Jubilee Year, the commission launched ‘Pehal – Ek Prayaas’ (‘Initiative – A New Effort’), a weekly coaching program for civil service aspirants; 15 students enrolled after an initial orientation.

In a circular signed June 10, Archbishop Anil J.T. Couto of Delhi said the program would guide and mentor candidates through a team of experts providing regular classes, supervision, doubt-clearing sessions, and assessments.

“The aspirants are welcome and encouraged to use the Diocesan Community Centre library for their regular study,” the archbishop wrote. “A space at Chetanalaya basement is also being created and prepared for classes and study purpose equipped with reference book.”

According to the circular, enrollment will be confirmed after an interview with each student, and candidates will pay a token fee of 1,000 rupees (about $11), covering “coaching and mentoring through classes reference books, study materials, regular assessment etc.”

Daisy Panna, secretary of the archdioceseʼs Commission for the Laity, told EWTN News that four students sat for this yearʼs preliminary examination, with others expected to appear next year.

“This year the Laity commission together with Justice & Peace Commission and Chetanalaya have decided to extend the support to youth preparing for SSC-CGL and CUET examinations also,” Panna said.

“In this regard an orientation has been planned on 14th of June 2026 at Yusuf Sadan for UPSC and SSC, and for CUET an orientation was undertaken on June 21, in the basement of the Church of Immaculate Conception.”

Coaching for the UPSC examination is set to begin July 1, while registration and classes for the SSC and CUET examinations will start in October and run for eight months and three months, respectively, the archdiocese said.

Among those enrolled is Simran A. Beck, 26, a biotechnology graduate who said she had long wanted to serve society, which drew her toward public service.

“I joined the coaching as preparing for such exams can be very challenging, overwhelming,” Beck told EWTN News. “A proper guidance was needed, which was provided by Dr. Daisy Panna; she took the initiative of providing mentorship, mock test and feedback.”

“Since there are other students as well who are preparing for the same exam as I am, group discussions and guidance from other peers also came into effective use.”

A student fresh out of school or college can feel lost when confronting the scale of the competition and the size of the syllabus, Beck said, which is why mentorship and feedback matter in helping aspirants build a road map to follow.

Preparing for the exams, she added, is on a different scale from school or college tests, with different patterns and answer-writing formats.