PUDUKKOTTAI: Dr S Dhetchenamoorthy, a dermatologist running a skin and laser clinic in Aranthangi, is acutely aware of the struggles associated with medical education for students from rural and economically-poor backgrounds. For someone who hails from a carpenter’s family and studied in a government school, it is a no-brainer.
In 2005, the doctor and 29 other students of the 1998 batch of two schools in Aranthangi — Government Higher Secondary School for Boys, and the other for Girls – floated a group called ‘Thisaigal’. The group strives to give ‘directions’ — as the name suggests — to people in spheres of social justice, health, environment, and women empowerment, with education being an important module.
“My father was a carpenter. I came up in life only through education and with help from my dedicated teachers. I always wanted to help marginalised students and ensure equal opportunity for them,” says Dr Dhetchenamoorthy who completed his MBBS from the Thanjavur Medical College. “We faced many a hardship then, and we didn’t want the next generation to endure it. Hence, we started Thisaigal in 2005 to guide the students,” he says with pride.
Its biggest contribution has been in the field of education — Sigaram NEET Coaching Centre in Aranthangi, which it flagged off with help from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) three years ago. This is to help students from government schools to secure an MBBS seat under the new regime.The classes are held at the IMA Hall in Aranthangi, and they provide transport too. The Sunday classes become daily sessions after the Class 12 exams. The only criteria for admission: one must be studying in a government school.
Dr J Lakshminarayanan, IMA Aranthangi president, says they get on an average of 100 students every year. “In 2017, we initially conducted coaching for 56 students with the help of the Doctors Association for Social Equality (DASE). The coaching was given through a centre in Tiruchy. In 2018, we decided to move to the IMA hall. We took help from government school teachers such as L Murugaiyan (Biology) and S Baskaran, and several others. The 7.5 per cent quota is a big boon and it will open up opportunities for many students,” says Dr Lakshminarayanan.
“I have been associated with Thisaigal since 2019. We had students from 12 schools last year,” says Baskaran, who is the project director at Sigara. In the first two years, few students got qualified in NEET, but none secured medical admission. The quota for government school students turned out to be a game-changer. Three students from Sigaram got selected in 2020 and two secured MBBS seats in 2021. Since its inception, 77 students have qualified in NEET, and six secured MBBS admission.“I’ve been taking classes for 5 years at Sigaram. Success is dependent on the interest levels of the students,” says Murugaiyan, who authored a NEET textbook.
Shamsiya Afrin, who secured admission to Stanley Medical College this year, attributes her success to Sigaram. Nagarajan, another student who secured admission to the Kanyakumari Medical College, says the coaching at Sigaram was helpful. “I went for the coaching in 2019 once when I was in Class 11. After Class 12, I focussed on NEET for one year. The teachers were available round-the-clock for clearing doubts,” he says.