Updated on: Monday, December 13, 2010
As many as 80 students going to various Chennai Schools will soon begin preparing for competitive examinations such as the IIT-JEE and AIEEE.
The Chennai Corporation on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with training institute FIITJEE, which will train students.
The 80 students, 40 from class IX and 40 from class XI going to different Chennai Schools, were chosen based on an aptitude test conducted by FIITJEE. They would have trainers with FIITJEE taking class for them thrice a week, at the Chennai Girls Higher Secondary School, Nungambakkam.
In order to enable students living in other localities get to this school for classes, the Chennai Corporation would organise free bus passes for them, said Mayor M. Subramanian.
“A group of six students who passed out of Chennai Schools secured high marks in their class XII made it to Anna University earlier this year. This initiative of FIITJEE will help Chennai School students get into IITs and NITs, too,” he said.
FIITJEE was investing over Rs. 6 crore to train three batches of 80 students each, beginning this year, according to Ankur Jain, centre director, FIITJEE, Tamil Nadu and Kerala Operations.
V. Vimal, a class IX student going to Chennai Higher Secondary School, Puliyur, topped the entrance test conducted to select students for the training programme.
“Mathematics and science have always been my favourite subjects. I have heard a lot about the IITs and it is my dream to get into one and later, pursue research related to the outer space,” he said.
Class IX students B. Lavanya and K. Ashika also seemed excited. “I knew that IIT is a big institute. That's all. But now, hearing that it is a top institution, I am motivated to study harder,” said Lavanya.