Popular educational content creator and Next Toppers co-founder Shobhit Nirwan says he is terrified to expand his business into the lucrative JEE and NEET competitive exam markets because of the “coaching mafia.”
Speaking on the Gangsta Perspectives podcast hosted by author and YouTuber Shwetabh Gangwar, Nirwan alleged that established coaching institutes use aggressive tactics to destroy emerging competitors, including poaching teachers, legal harassment, and reputation sabotage.
Nirwan, who has over 3.5 million subscribers on his main YouTube channel, explained that his company currently focuses on Class 9 and 10 school-level education. Despite student demand for him to launch courses for engineering and medical entrance exams, he has put those plans on hold.
He claimed that the industry giants are so powerful that they can wipe out a small player overnight by buying out their entire staff or fabricating legal issues to halt operations.
The 23-year-old educator described the current state of the coaching industry as a trap for both students and new entrepreneurs. He detailed how large institutes segregate students into batches based on performance, often neglecting the majority to focus resources solely on a small “rankers batch.”
According to Nirwan, students in lower batches pay the same fees but receive inferior facilities and instruction, effectively subsidising the top students who are treated as marketing assets.
Nirwan also criticised the practice of “rank buying,” where multiple institutes claim the same top-performing student in their advertisements.
He noted that institutes often offer free resources or cash rewards to high achievers in exchange for the right to use their names, misleading parents into believing the institute was solely responsible for the student’s success.
The educator admitted that even parents are often unaware of these marketing gimmicks until their money is already locked in with non-refundable fees.
Beyond the business malpractice, Nirwan highlighted the severe physical and mental toll the system takes on students.
Having spent his own high school years in Kota, the hub of India’s coaching industry, he shared personal accounts of health issues ranging from chronic back pain to digestive problems caused by poor hostel food and long hours of sedentary study.
He argued that the pressure to perform often leads to burnout and depression among teenagers who are ill-equipped to handle such stress.
Shobhit Nirwan rose to fame by creating relatable study content for Class 10 students, filling a gap left by traditional schooling. His ed-tech company, Next Toppers, has grown significantly in the school education niche.
