VIRUDHUNAGAR: Years of hardship and determination have culminated in a proud moment for M Amaravathi (44), a daily wage labourer from Srivilliputhur, whose son has secured admission to IIT Madras after clearing the JEE. Amaravathi lost her husband when her youngest son, M Logesh (18), was just four years old. A Class VII dropout, she took up work at brick kilns to raise her three children, earning around Rs 300 per day. Her perseverance paid off when Logesh, a student of Municipal TVK Higher Secondary School, secured admission to pursue Chemical Engineering at IIT Madras.
Recalling her struggles, Amaravathi said she would leave home at 3:30 am every day to work at the brick kilns until evening. “Before leaving for school, my children would cook and leave it with a neighbour, who would later hand it over to me. Whether it was scorching heat, rain, or physically demanding work, I never gave up because I wanted my children to have a better future,” she said. Logesh is among two other government school students from Virudhunagar who have secured admissions to premier institutions this year.
R Arumuga Velan Raghavan (18) and I Dharaniya (17), both students of the Government Higher Secondary School in Nallamanaickerpatti near Rajapalayam, also cleared JEE and secured admissions to National Institutes of Technology (NITs). Both come from families of daily wage labourers.
Speaking to TNIE, the students credited the district administration’s Disai initiative for their success.
The programme provides residential coaching for students of government and government-aided schools preparing for national-level entrance examinations such as JEE, NEET and CUET.
“The residential coaching organised by the district administration and the School Education Department was a game changer. The teachers not only provided quality coaching but also mentored us and patiently cleared our doubts throughout the preparation,” the students said. District collector N O Sukhaputra said the administration is considering requests from students who are unable to afford higher education expenses and is extending financial assistance to ensure they can pursue their studies.