Model schools give wings to dreams of TN government school students
THENI: The state government established residential schools across Tamil Nadu in 2022 to prepare students for competitive exams including NEET, JEE and CLAT.
A bunch of students from the first batch of the model school in Theni have secured admission in engineering and law courses in central government educational institutions.
According to sources, the school gave coaching to 102 students, of which 40 each appeared for NEET and JEE respectively, and 22 sat for CLAT. Of these, seven scored between 200 and 300 marks in NEET. The rest of the students just managed pass mark. R Naveenkumar, the school topper, secured 464 out of 720 marks.
Among the 40 who appeared for JEE, three have got admission in IIT- Bhubaneshwar. Four students bagged admission in Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI). After clearing CLAT, three students have got admission in Dr Ambedkar Law University while another students got admission in Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, Visakhapatnam.
Speaking to TNIE, the HM of Theni model school C Mutharasppan said unlike the other schools which admitted Class XI and XII students, his school took in students who were in Class IX. " The teachers made students revise the lessons thoroughly several times and it has produced good results. Naveenkumar, who topped the school in NEET, will not get the 7.5% quota reserved for government school students as had studied in an aided school", he said.
In comparison, the performance of students of the Madurai model school has been underwhelming. Very few students have done well in the exams in the last two years. In fact, the school opened its account only this year. Last year, none of the students entered a professional college.
This year 47 students appeared for NEET out of which 41 have passed. However, no one scored above 400 marks. Similarly, 45 appeared for JEE, but only one got admission in The School of Planning and Architecture (SPA). Few students got admission to Dr Ambedkar Law University.
Speaking to TNIE, the HM Senthilkumar said A Keerthana secured 394/720 marks in NEET and topped the school but is not eligible for 7.5% quota. "K Prathika, who scored 334 is eligible for the 7.5% reservation as well as SC quota. So, this year one student from our school would likely get a medical seat," he said.
According to sources, each model school has around 100 students who are selected through the EMIS portal based on their academic performance and given intensive coaching on a par with private coaching centres.