Chennai: With an idea to support the dreams of government school students who aim to crack National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Neet), a group of medicos from the state started a not-for-profit coaching academy- Phoenix Neet Academy in Perambalur. They dis this in the wake of the death of medical aspirant Anitha who committed suicide after failing to clear Neet. The collective efforts of the medicos have led to 370 government school students clearing Neet this year and who will be attending the counselling next month.
Dr Madan Gunasekaran, assistant surgeon at Kilapuk Medical College and chief coordinator of Phoenix Neet Academy along with a team of 30 members that includes doctors, lecturers and research scholars from renowned institutions across the state started a library in Perambalur district after Anitha's death.
“I used to take classes for plus two students for free to help them perform well in exams. After Anitha's death, when we visited the family, her brother Maniratnam requested us to start a coaching centre for Neet aspirants. It was in Januray 2017 that our team decided to come together to open a coaching centre to help the students who cannot afford to pay high fees of private coaching centres,” says Dr Madan.
In August 2017, the classes were started for Neet aspirants at the first centre in Perambalur district where 119 students had enrolled. In the 2018 entrance test, 112 students cleared the exam from the centre.
The group of medicos came to be known over social media platforms and more people joined in to support the academy and 11 branches of the academy were opened in the state in various districts including Tiruchy, Tenkasi, Madurai, Chennai and Vriddhachalam.
“We shared salary and opened more centres. We used to prepare study material, question banks in Tamil and conducted classes in three batches of 30-50 students per batch. We also conducted a special crash course for 40 days for Neet aspirants focusing on multiple choice questions and important topics. The result was that 370 students out of 396 cleared NEET exam, rendering a pass percentage of 96 per cent.”
The academy is not only restricted to Neet preparation, but has also associated with National Institute of Technology, Tiruchy to get professionals to teach the IIT aspirants at the academy. Two students of the academy have cleared the IIT mains and will attend the counselling soon. The academy offers foundation course for class 11 students, regular course for class 12 students and advanced course for reappearing students.
Of the various members of the academy, the Dean of Tagore Medical College Dr Gunasekaran has also been associated with the academy and he oversees the centre near Rathinamangalam. Professors from Anna University have also joined hands with the academy to offer their support.
The academy is to launch its special provision for underprivileged students called ‘Super 30’, where 30 students from all over the State will be provided free academic support, accommodation and food for a year. The ‘Super 30’ will most probably start this year.
