A year on, Mumbai's IIT Super-30 model loses steam

Updated on: Monday, July 11, 2011

Last year, an Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT) alumnus decided to start a Top-50 programme, much on the lines of Bihar's Super-30 class, to help the poorest but brightest scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students from across Maharashtra ace the IIT Joint Entrance Exams (IIT-JEE) free of cost. The initial plan included tutoring the students for their class XII exams as well.
A year down the line, the idea seems to have fizzled out, as the state government has not yet cleared the proposal for the current year. As soon as the plan was suggested in 2010, a state-level selection test was conducted for backward category students and the highest performers were selected for free coaching and lodging in Mumbai.
The same process has not been carried out this year yet. Praveen Tyagi, who runs the programme, said that the students who were selected last year had shown tremendous potential to crack the JEE. "In the initial months, some of the students required help with their English. But they are all very hardworking and are thorough with theoretical concepts. We're now working on sharpening their skills," he said.
When asked about the fresh batch of students expected this year, he said he was waiting for the state's approval for the same. In most parts of the state, admission to junior colleges is already underway and sources said SC/ST students would have signed up at different collges by now. "Last year, the entrance test took place even before class X results. Keeping in mind the delay this year, it is doubtful if there will be students queuing up to take the selection test," a source said.
Social justice minister Shivaji Moghe accepted that there had been some delays in clearing the order this year, but said his department was going to do the needful soon. The selection test would be held after the approval, Moghe added.

Times of India

A year on, Mumbai's IIT Super-30 model loses steam

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