In a first, 2 tribal Malayali students get seats in Trichy's National Institute of Technology
CHENNAI: For the first time, two students from the tribal Malayali community living in the Kolli Hills of Namakkal district have secured engineering seats in National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchy. R Hariharan and M Bhoomika, who had scored 81.33% and 73.15%, respectively, in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains, are students of Ekalavya Model Residential School (EMRS) in Kolli Hills. “Apart from teaching state board textbooks, our teachers encouraged us to study additional materials which helped us clear JEE,” the students said.
“Usually, children in our community, particularly those living in the hills, do not get proper education. I wanted my son to study well and I am happy he got a seat in NIT-T. This is the first time children from our community living in hills are going to a premier institution,” Hariharan’s father N Rajendran said.
Hariharan said he is happy to get a seat in NIT-T and hopes to do well.M Bhoomika said she studied in Tiruchy before moving to EMRS, Sengarai, in Class 8. “As it was a residential school, it helped me concentrate in my studies better. Our teachers were also supportive,” she said.
The tribal welfare department on Saturday felicitated the students and teachers who had ensured 100% pass in Class 12 public exam. “We have also asked tribal schools to take students to medical and engineering colleges to kindle their interest in higher education,” said a top official of the tribal department.
The department is also planning to tie up with a private coaching centre, similar to what is being done in model schools run by the school education department, to ensure that tribal students get all the help required to join premier institutions.
“This year, the students didn’t perform well in the JEE Advanced examinations. We will ensure they prepare well from the beginning of the academic year and help them perform better next year,” the official said.