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21 students from MP tribal belt tame the IIT-JEE entrance test
MP government’s special programme, “Choo lo aasman” where students from tribal belts get free coaching, schooling, food at residential schools has borne fruit with 21 students cracking the IIT. The schools have special classrooms equipped with video conferencing and telecast facilities.
Every the result declaration period throws up a minimum of 1 tragic news where student take their lives over not being able to cope the pressure of preparing for the prestigious IIT entrance. However, at the same time another type of news emanates from the other end of spectrum where some students have gone on to crack the IIT surmounting seemingly impossible odds.
This is the news from the other end of the spectrum. Over 20 students hailing from the tribal belt of Madhya Pradesh, who were taught under a government programme for children from backward villages, have blazed a trail by cracking the IIT examination.
"Overall 300 students qualified in the mains examination and 21 have been selected in the advance examination," said Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Commissioner/Secretary Umakant Umrao.
The special programme called the "Choo lo aasman programme" consists of setting up special classrooms which telecast video lectures from several experienced teachers of city schools along with television, and computer programmes that practically show the theory being taught, said Vivek Tiwari, principal Higher Secondary government school in Dhoura from where 1of the students was selected in IIT advanced examination.
Besides regular classes, special night classes were also held for the students. These schools mostly cover the tribal backward areas of Madhya Pradesh.
"We have closely monitored the situation. We connected through technology. We used to ask teachers to send pictures and videos of classroom education daily to check attendance and quality of education being given to the students," said B Gyaneshwar Patil, Collector of Baitul district.
"It is a very proud moment for us and we are very happy that bright students from backward sections of the society are getting the right exposure and are able to fulfil their dreams," he added.
Since the programme reached out to students from tribal areas, it was understood that most of the children came from modest backgrounds. Some students didn’t even have money to reach the examination centers of IIT, said RS Parihar, Assistant Commissioner of Tribal Development Department Baitul district. Hence the programme covered free schooling and coaching by teachers, besides food, at the residential campus.
Parihar added that each district has 16 smart classrooms and based on the aptitude the students were segregated. Those interested in mathematics were trained towards engineering and ones towards biology were taught keeping medicine in mind. He said doubt-clearing-sessions were held from time to time where experts interacted with the students through video conferencing.
The students in turn are highly delighted and greatly appreciate the initiative, they said they were imparted quality education and teachers helped them fulfil their dreams.
"My mother is a daily wage labourer and my father passed away when I was very young, qualifying into IIT has been my dream and the kind of education I got from my school with study material and well-equipped laboratories helped me fulfil my dreams," said Halvant Dhuve, a student of EMRS government school, Baitul, who secured 999 rank in the advanced examination.
Another student Dheeraj Binjhade from a tribal higher secondary school in Baitul who secured 1,294 rank under SC category agreed with Dhuve.
"We got very good coaching. We were taught through study material that the government acquired from professional coaching institutes, we had laboratories having the necessary facilities," he said.
The quality of education in the region is very poor because of which the children reach to class eighth and tenth standards," Umrao said.
"We are educating children to prepare them as doctors and engineers. And most of these students come from very poor background, hence, it has been our aim to bring these students to mainstream," Umrao who himself is an IITian said
"Using the fund, we scanned everything right from teachers to lab assistants and gave proper training to them," Umrao said, adding that infrastructure and laboratory facilities were also improved.