Project Shine' helps tribals to get into Sainik School

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The tribal students have done it. Fifteen students of Attappadi have passed the Sainik School entrance exam. This is for the first time that so many of them have got selected to appear for the interview and the medical test.

This is the result of ‘Project Shine,’ an initiative of the 1991 batch of Sainik School Kazhakoottam who coached 24 tribal students for the sixth  grade all-India entrance exam.

Those who qualified belong to Government Tribal Vocational Higher Secondary School, Government UPS, Kottathara, Govt Tribal Higher Secondary School, Sholayar, Mount Carmel School, Jellippara and Govt UPS, Karara.

The written test was held on January 3. Though interviews are also being held in Kochi and Thiruv-ananthapuram, since they had appeared for their written test in Kozhikode, they are likely to attend it at the Office of the Institute of Maternal & Child Health there.

Mr  Babu Mathew, child psychologist and ‘Project Shine’ convener, said, “we taught them through the Socio-Emotional Learning approach.

The idea of coaching tribal students came from the former SSK registrar, P. G. Suresh Kumar who is now based in New Delhi. We had to make them realise that “we are there and the students have to do something,’” said Mr. Mathew.

‘Project Shine’ was envisioned to commemorate 25 years of the passing out of the 1991 batch from their alma mater.