247 students from government schools head to premier higher education institutions

Govt school students from underprivileged backgrounds honored by TN govt; 247 to pursue higher edu in prestigious institutions. 6 to IITs, 13 to NITs, 77 to JEE mains, 6 to Indian Maritime University, 6 to National Forensic Sciences University. CM urges students to make use of opportunities given to them for social equality.

Jayashree Perumal and Aval Sindhu, who will soon start their college education, say they are mostly excited, and nervous, about the new experiences that await them. The government school students will fly to Taiwan to pursue an undergraduate degree, and have secured a full scholarship for it.

 A total of 247 students from government schools across the State, who are set to study in prestigious higher education institutions, were honoured by the Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday. Nearly all of them are from an underprivileged background, and many of them would be the first graduate in their family. The Government of Tamil Nadu is funding their college education. Many of these students completed Class XII at the Model Schools run by the School Education Department. 

A student of the Model School in Dharmapuri district, Jayashree will pursue a degree in mechanical engineering at Kun Shan University in Taiwan, and Sindhu will pursue a course in International Business and Trade at Ming Chuan University. This is a first for government students from the State.

 “I had secured admission into NIT to pursue engineering, but then heard about the scholarships being offered in Taiwan through my school. The university’s curriculum for mechanical engineering was interesting, and I look forward to studying there,” said Jayashree, who will be the first graduate in her family once she completes her college education. 

A keen interest in law is what motivated I. Abdulla, a student of the Model School in Sivaganga, to clear the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) with flying colours. “I was coached to clear the competitive exam, and was able to attend additional sessions with subject experts at school, which helped,” he said. While his father works in Kerala, his mother is a daily wage labourer in his village.

P. Vasanthakumar, a student of the Model School in Salem, whose father is a spinning mill worker, cleared JEE earlier this year, and has begun his engineering programme in metallurgy at IIT-Madras.

S. Kathiravan, a student from Krishnagiri, who has a locomotor disability, will soon start his higher education at Kilpauk Medical College.