In Mangalore, at least 200 students of class 8 have started attending coaching classes to take the National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) and National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS) examinations to be held in November.
They attended the second coaching class in Sharada Vidyalaya and St. Aloysius, Urva, both run by Sullia-based Prajna Education Trust (PET), which organises classes in Mulky, Belthangady, Puttur, Sullia, Madikeri, and Kasaragod.
They study Social Studies, Science, and Mathematics (SAT) and Mental Ability (MAT).
If selected at the national level of the NTSE, the student gets monthly scholarship by the Government until the completion of education of the student. He gets monthly scholarship of Rs. 500 till postgraduation level and monthly scholarship at postgraduate level as per UGC norms.
Also, 200 students who show excellence at the State level are awarded a monthly scholarship of Rs. 200 for two years by the Karnataka State Students Welfare Board. A total of 5,534 students of different districts and categories are awarded a monthly scholarship of Rs. 500 till II PUC for four years (totally, Rs.24,000).
On Sunday, at the coaching centre in Sharada Vidyalaya, Mahin, a student of St. Aloysius School, said that he got to know of the coaching from his school. Vaishnavi, a student of Sharada Vidyalaya, said her friends had told her it helped in IIT entrance examinations.
Ashutosh, her schoolmate, said that his seniors told him about the coaching. He said: “The Mathematics sums are tricky. But it is fun to solve as we are allowed to discuss with our friends.”
Fayees, from the same school, said his mother told him to attend the coaching as his sister cleared the NTSE after the same coaching. He said: “Mathematics is a bit tough, especially mental Maths.”
Sulekha, mother of Amoghavarsha, student of Sharada Vidyalaya, Talapady, said: “I do not know about other training schools for NTSE. I heard of this coaching centre and came here,” she said.
Nenekar, grandfather of K.A. Ashish Acharya, student of Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV), Panambur, said the coaching would help the student face competitive examinations. Prabhakar Naik, father of Nikhil from the same KV, said he wanted his son to do well in Mathematics and Science.
About the fees (Rs. 2,000), K.M. Seetharam Bhat, father of Venkatesh K, of St. Aloysius, said: “One can't judge by the fees. We have to put in required efforts so that the student succeeds. It is like growing a mango tree. One can plant a sapling but can't know if it will yield mangoes or stones.”
P.S. Moodithaya, president, PET, said that about 1,000 students join the course each year at the centre. In 2009, four of its students were selected in the national level NTSE and 13 at the State level while 128 of 178 cleared NMMS.
In 2010, four passed the State level NTSE.
They wrote the national level NTSE in May 2011 and the results are awaited. Of 178, 100 cleared the NMMS, he said. For details, see dsert.kar.nic.in.
