New Delhi, July 05: Replicating Bihar's 'Super 30'
model in other parts of the country, an organisation that
trains students from rural and impoverished backgrounds to
enter IITs succeeded in sending 74 of its students to the
coveted institutes this year.
The Dakshana Foundation, founded in India by a US-based
Indian, operates in seven centres across the country and draws
potential students from the government-run Jawahar Navodaya
Vidyalayas (JNVs), who are then funded and guided for the
Indian Institutes of Technology.
Among the 350-strong first batch of students whose
talents are spotted and aided by the foundation in 2007, 74
made it to the IITs this year, while another 155 were on the
IIT-JEE Extended Merit List, making it to the AIEEEs.
"The endeavour, that came about in collaboration with the
JNVs, aims to lend a helping hand to students who are potent
enough to crack IIT exams but do not have the financial
wherewithal to fund their coaching," said Monish Pabrai, the
founder of the body at a felicitation ceremony here.
Dakshana's model was lifted from Patna-based Anand
Kumar's 'Super 30' programme that coaches students from the
rural and remotest areas of Bihar and Jharkhand and sends them
to the country's most prestigious institutes.
"As it is not easy for the public sector to provide such
services, the role of private philanthropy comes into play in
such areas," said Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman,
Planning Commission.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, July 05, 2009, 22:57