OdishaPlus Bureau
Now, the meritorious students of mining affected blocks of Sundargarh district will have the opportunity to try their luck at all India level entrance exams. To crack their dream career, the district administration has come forward by introducing an initiative offering free coaching to these students.
For the purpose, three centres have been established recently at Rourkela, Sundargarh and Rajgangpur to provide the coaching facilities to students. A total of 400 candidates have been enrolled in the first batch of this specialised coaching.
The classes are being provided for national level entrance exams like engineering, medical, law, architecture, etc. Meritorious students from tribal, poor and underprivileged families can now fulfil their career dreams through this programme.
Eligible students from six mining affected blocks like Koira, Kutra, Lahunipara, Kuarmunda, Rajgangpur and Hemgir are being selected on the basis of their marks. Classes are provided to standard 10 and 12 appearing and pass students, to crack entrances like IIT, JEE, NEET, NATA, CLAT etc.
The programme is financially supported by the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) Sundargarh. Along with coaching, the students are provided accommodation, uniform and study materials free of cost.
“I am from the mining affected Rajgangpur block. I aim to become an engineer. But there was no such facility to prepare for the same at Rajgangpur. I have registered myself at the coaching centre started by the district administration. Now I can study and fulfil my dream of cracking IIT”, says Tejaswini Perua, a student taking coaching at the Sundargarh centre.
David Kerketta from Kuarmunda block dreams to become a doctor. “I wanted to study medical after cracking NEET. But I couldn’t afford coaching for the same. I got the opportunity to study at the Rourkela coaching centre launched by the government. I have got free study materials, uniform and other accessories to help in my course”, affirms David.
Students from across the country flock to Kota in Rajasthan for coaching with an aim to crack medical and engineering seats. Looking into the need, the Sundargarh District Administration has partnered with experienced coaching organisations to conduct classes for the students across three centres. As a response, the aspirants and their family members have shown a keen interest in the programme.
“Students like us are being prepared for national level entrance examinations with adequate coaching at this centre with all necessary facilities. The teachers are helpful and encouraging”, says Laxmipriya Mahanadia of Hemgir block while appreciating the initiative by district administration Sundargarh and the state government.
Modern classrooms, well equipped library along with 24/7 internet are the key features at the centres. Further, the candidates are provided with books and reading materials. Biometric attendance is introduced to ensure students’ participation in the programme.
Under Skill Development Programmes, apart from IIT JEE coaching, the district administration has introduced number of programmes for the students and youth. To enhance the employability of educated youth, short term coaching initiative ‘Sudakshya’ is operational in the district. Having centres at Sundargarh, Rourkela and Bonai, the candidates are being trained to crack exams and interviews in the sectors like Banking & Insurance, Armed Forces, Odisha Police and Staff Selection etc.
