P. Banupriya was waiting at a bus stand in Vadalur to cross the road, when a bus ran her down. “The driver’s eyesight was poor. In the accident the bone of my right leg was broken,” she recalls of the incident that took place when she was seven years old.
“I cannot walk too long as my feet hurt, and I become sick. I wear a prosthesis, but doctors said I would have to undergo a major surgery. We postponed it as I was going to take the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) this year,” she says. She has scored 116 and hopes to get into a government medical college. Her father was recently promoted as a lineman at the electricity board. Banupriya, a first-generation graduate, has an older sister who has completed ITI and is awaiting a job.
At the age of 12, N.N. Darshana was waiting at the bus stand to go to school. A car rammed into her and dragged her along. She remembers waking up to learn that her left leg had been amputated. The government school student from Mondaikadu in Kanyakumari district is the daughter of a welder. She did not let her disability come in the way of preparation for NEET.
“A few akkas who are studying at Kilpauk Medical College helped me. I would contact them through WhatsApp or call them to clear doubts. With a score of 157, she too hopes to get into a government medical college.
As a result of a congenital deformity K.S. Kishore Kumar does not have two toes in one lower limb. His father is a farmer in Nochili panchayat in Pallipattu village of Tiruvallur district. His father is a graduate, and his brother is preparing for the Chartered Accountancy exam. Kishore Kumar has scored 201, which he attributes to the KMC students who taught him over the phone. “They taught me 33 of the 38 biology lessons over the phone,” says the candidate who hopes to pursue a post-graduation as well.
S.M. Suriyalakshmi, who has scored 536, is an alumna of the Government Girls School in Madhuravoyal. She scored 368 marks in 2019 but did not get a seat and decided to repeat NEET this year. “Last year I was coached by the KMC students for 48 days. This year, they funded my training in a private coaching centre. The students who mentored me last year guided me by giving tips on taking the test,” she said. Her father works in a flour mill.
“Will the 7.5% reservation for government school students apply for repeaters too,” she wondered. She has not applied anywhere as she wants to pursue medicine.
Vasudevaa K.R., a student of an aided school in Madurai has scored 521. A repeater, he said his mentors gave him the confidence to take the test again. In the first attempt he scored 225 marks. His father is a farmer.
Prasad Manne, secretary of the Government Kilpauk Medical College Alumni Association said the association started to train students to qualify in NEET from 2018 onwards. A handful of students have benefited from their effort. Each student is assigned a mentor, who is either from the first or second year of the college. The association provides the students with study materials.
This year six students have cleared, of which four are disabled. “They are from less privileged families. I hope this turns around their fortunes,” he added.
