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Students who cleared JEE, NEET to be roped in as mentors for kids in Delhi govt schools
New Delhi: Buoyed by the success of over 1,000 government school students in competitive examinations like National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint
New Delhi: Buoyed by the success of over 1,000 government school students in competitive examinations like National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), the Delhi government’s education department has asked schools to ask these students to motivate their juniors as “role models”.
This year, 569 government school students cracked NEET and 443 cleared JEE (Main), of which 53 further cracked the JEE (Advanced) for admission into the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
“Some students of government schools may not be aware about the JEE, NEET and other competitive examinations. They may also not know the method of preparation, fee structure, institutions and availability of government facilities for the financial assistance,” additional director of education, Saroj Sain, said in a circular to schools on Thursday. “Therefore, it is... the prime duty of each outstanding alumni student of our schools to guide their juniors on how to crack these competitive examinations.”
Heads of schools have been asked to facilitate alumni-student interaction through digital means until schools reopen. Schools in the national capital have been closed since March 19 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and classes and learning activities have mostly shifted online.
“Once students start coming to schools, such alumni students must be given the opportunity to interact and guide junior students of their own school and other schools in the [respective] Zone,” Sain said.
Shalu, 17, a resident of Gokalpur who graduated from Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya (RPVV) in Yamuna Vihar, ranked 5,347th in JEE (Advanced). “While appearing for the exam, a lot of us were made to feel inferior because a perception exists that only extraordinary minds or coaching centres can help clear these tests. I want to break that notion because I cleared these tests without coaching,” she said.
The teenager, who has secured admission in IIT- Mandi in the electrical engineering programme, said, “The only key is to work consistently and I want to share that with others. Less than a year ago, we were in the same position as these students. It might motivate our juniors to excel in whatever subject they choose. There is an existing fear around such competitive exams. If we talk to our juniors, we might be able to tell them how to work around this fear if not erase it completely,” she said.
Heads of schools have also welcomed the step.
Prity Saxena, HOS at RPVV Paschim Vihar, said that after 22 of her students cleared JEE (Mains) and 22 others cleared NEET, students were motivated to do better. “We shared the results on our WhatsApp groups, which motivated the current students so much that they have now set their own targets. When the alumni come back to school and talks to the students about the institute they got selected in, it makes a difference. From things as minute as planning the day to getting the right books to the different problems that aspirants can face, students can get guidance which is relatable,” she said.
