Now, financial constraints will not become a hurdle in a way of talented students hailing from socially and economically weaker sections and in competing for various engineering and medical entrance examinations. The State Government has decided to provide coaching to 40 meritorious candidates for candidates across the State.
If all goes well, the State government will expand its plan of providing coaching to the meritorious candidates and the concept of the ambitious project ‘Akansha’ a techno gateway will be expanded from the next academic session providing opportunity to all the eligible candidates from all the 24 districts of the state who will take the class 10 exam from Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC).
Presently, the project is initiated on pilot basis and has covered only Ranchi district providing assistance to 40 students from the areas like Childag, Angara and Ranchi. All 40 school students from various Government schools will be given special coaching and guidance for various All India engineering and medical competition examinations from February.
“The success of the project depends on the students’ performance and accordingly the project will be expanded from the next session. To choose the best candidates, the concept of screening test at state level is the best option available. From next session for the convenience of candidates residential facilities too will be made available. Coaching and career counseling centres will be started in every district in the days to come,” informed Secretary, School Education and literacy, Aradhana Patnaik.
All the 40 selected candidates have passed the screening test to avail the benefit of guidance and coaching from experts. Only those Candidates who fall in below poverty line (BPl) criteria and whose families’ annual income is less than `1 lakh have been given the chance appear for the test.
Ranchi District Education Officer, Rajkumar Prasad Singh informed, “The entire concept is based on the ‘Super 30’. The motto is to provide guidance in all major subjects to the economically and socially weaker section students in the coming days for competitive exams.”
However, the ambitious project to empower the meritorious candidates completely depends upon the skilled and trained teachers. Teachers’ profiles too have been selected accordingly for the purpose.
All the government teachers who have qualified PGT (post graduate training) examination and are well versed with science stream subjects were given priority for the respective subjects. Few experts who run coaching institutes in the State capital have also been roped-in for guiding the selected candidates in various subjects.
Students will be guided by experts on every alternate day in five major subjects which include Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English and accordingly time-table too has been set up for the purpose.
“All the teachers will be paid extra `500 per day apart from their salaries the providing coaching to the selected group in their specialized subjects. All necessary arrangements of lodging have been made at Zila School,” added Singh.