Govt-run centre to fulfil dreams of Gadchiroli students for IIT entry

Nagpur: A first-of-its-kind government-run residential IIT coaching centre is all set to come up at Gadchiroli, which will boost the innovative academic initiative ecosystem in the remote district. It will be unique not only because it is the first such project, but also because the local authorities have a well defined plan to run it in a highly professional and competitive manner.
Deepak Singla, district collector of Gadchiroli, said, “Highly qualified teachers have been engaged professionally to come to Gadchiroli and train our students for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). The coaching will be for one year and every requirement of the students, be it academic or lodging and boarding, will be taken care of by the government. The funds for this project have been approved by Niti Aayog, and we will soon be starting the first phase of selecting students.”
Around 150 students from Gadchiroli’s Zilla Parishad (ZP) schools, ashramshalas etc will be selected for this free one-year residential camp. Singla said, “Selection of students will be based on an entrance exam to be conducted by ZP education department. Teachers have been asked to create awareness about this initiative so that more and more students can participate.”
Proposed to come up at Dhanora, about 200km from Nagpur, the coaching centre will get added support from zilla parishad in terms of logisitics and human resources support. ZP teachers will help identify students with potential and ensure that they appear for the entrance test.
There is a strong possibility of the entrance test being held online, the infrastructure for which will be facilitated by ZP education department. Students currently enrolled in Std XII will be eligible for this residential coaching.
Singla said, “Our job is to provide these kids a platform where their potential can be realized. In school, they prepare for their board exams, and that is very different from preparing for JEE. At the residential centre, they will be taught in a professional manner by experts, which will give them the necessary skills to approach the highly competitive exam.”