Chennai: The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan’s (RMSA) state directorate has started special coaching for more than one lakh students from government schools to crack competitive and scholarship exams.
Under the MHRD’s Special Focus District Scheme, students from 8 districts will be trained to crack the competitive and scholarship exams along with the board exams. Cuddalore, Viluppuram, Kancheepuram, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Nilgiris and Perambalur are among the 6 districts identified as SC concentrated districts in the state while Kanyakumari district has been identified as minorities-concentrated district.
The coaching was started in August and it will go on until March. “We want to strengthen the students’ academic quality and improve their performance in the board exams. We are also training the students for competitive scholarship exams like TRUST, NMMS and NTSE,” RMSA officials said.
“If these students can crack these exams, it will also help them to perform better in other competitive and entrance exams for higher studies,” they said. Students from 1,410 schools in these districts who are studying class 9 and 10 have been admitted to this special coaching programme. In each school, on an average 85 students have joined in this coaching programme. “Totally 1.19 lakh students are enrolled for special coaching. The classes are being held on Saturday and Sundays. We will give study materials and conduct mock tests and career guidance for the students,” they added.
The students will also get the career guidance in the coaching classes. Though the funding is limited to only 8 districts, the officials are planning to create awareness on competitive and scholarship exams to all the students throughout the state.
“For other district students, we have a statewide TANEXCEL programme which is conducted at the block level. Though we cannot provide study materials to all the students due to lack of funds, we can create awareness about these exams,” officials said.
On a long term note, the officials are planning to extend the special coaching to class 11 and class 12 students to help them crack the entrance exams like IIT JEE and NEET.
