The ‘elite school’, established by the district administration, to offer specialised coaching to bright students from poor families looking to join professional courses, has helped nine students join the Anna University this year.
While seven students gained admission to Anna University’s College of Engineering Guindy (CEG), India’s oldest technical institution, two joined the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT). Two others gained entry to the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT).
“It’s a matter of pride that boys from rural areas, hailing from poor family backgrounds, have secured admission to the country’s premier institutions, fighting several odds,” Collector S. Natarajan said.
The students, thanks to the special coaching, got admission purely on merit, he said.
The students were given free boarding and lodging facilities in the ‘elite school’. Besides offering them specialised coaching to score high marks in the Plus Two examinations and make the cut for admission to engineering courses, the district administration has also started giving special coaching for National-Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, the Collector said.
K. Prakash with 199.25 marks and M. Pavin Kumar with 197.50, have opted for mechanical engineering at CEG. P. Karthik with 197.50 has opted for civil engineering at the same institute. K. Santhru with 196.25, has joined mechanical engineering at MIT, said Mr. Navaneetham, the school coordinator.
Three students from the school have joined B.Sc. (Agriculture) courses in government agriculture colleges. VIT, which adopts two students from the district every year, has offered free education to M. Bharath (electronics and communication engineering) and Kavina (computer science) this year, he said.
