Two students from Chennai Schools have succeeded in clearing the JEE main exams. They are just a step away from making it to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
S. Priyanka and G. Srinath are among the 1.5 lakh students selected from the 12 lakh candidates who took the exams this April. If they clear the JEE advanced exam to be held on June 2, they stand a chance at admission in the IITs.
Priyanka has scored 1,096 while Srinath has scored 870 marks in the class 12 examinations. Priyanka’s father is a farmer in Villupuram district. She is now in a hostel in the city and preparing for the advanced test. Priyanka is the eldest of four daughters and is already a role model for her sisters.
Srinath’s father is an autorickshaw driver and lives in Jafferkhanpet. Both will be the first in their families to go to college. The candidates, who are awaiting the rank list, were trained to take the online test.
Srinath has also decided to apply for Anna University’s counselling programme. Priyanka wants to pursue a degree in computer science engineering while Srinath hopes to do mechanical engineering.
“I want to get into a National Institute of Technology (NIT) as it is a Central government institution and the fees will be lower,” he said. The NITs are scheduled to release a merit rank list, combining class 12 marks with JEE mains scores, on July 7.
The students are trained by Avanti Fellows which launched a programme to equip candidates from low-income groups to take the JEE. Funding for the training programme comes from IIT alumni.
Naga M. Reddy, regional manager of Avanti Fellows, said the students were selected for training based on their class X scores.
“They scored over 90 per cent and we pushed them to train for better academic options,” he said.
