Not many takers for IITs, NITs yet in Tamil Nadu
Experts feel there is a problem with the educational system in the state
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-09-05 07:15 GMT
Chennai: The divide between the state board and CBSE students clearing the IIT JEE exam has been yet again proved this year with a mere 65 of the 1,421 registered state board students passing the JEE (Advanced) exam. Compared to this, 537 students belonging to the CBSE stream have cracked the entrance test from a total of 1,795. This skewed ratio is primarily due to the educational system in the state, point out IIT coaching experts.
“The topmost focus for students in Tamil Nadu is the board exams for admission to the Anna University affiliated engineering colleges. This is unlike other states where students spend most of their time and energy for competitive exams like the IIT,” said G. Raghavan of Anugraham classes, who has been coaching students for the IITs since 1984.
The same point was emphasised by KK Anand of SMART coaching, who said that the quality of our students is undoubtedly high, but is being hampered by their reluctance to compete. He further said that the number of students who crack the exam is not quite as bad as is feared. “Actually, we don’t have a big chunk writing the exams, though there is a huge potential in them,” he said.
This can be attributed to the lack of awareness regarding the IITs and NITs in the tier II and tier III cities of the state. “Barring Chennai and Coimbatore, very few in our rural and semi-urban areas are aware of this exam and indeed have access to IIT coaching,” said Pavan Kumar, deputy centre head, FIITJEE. This situation, experts say, must change for the hidden potential of students to be unearthed.