Free coaching for JEE, NEET, other competitive exams: Bengal HS board's landmark initiative ‘particularly for rural students'
In a landmark initiative, the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has launched a free competitive exam coaching program for Class XII science students. This is the first such move by the Council in its 50-year history, aimed at improving student performance in state joint entrance exams, JEE Mains, NEET-UG, and other national-level examinations.
Initially, the program will cover students from Kolkata and nearby districts, with plans to expand to other regions in the future. Launched on Monday, the initiative will begin with approximately 208 students from around 65 schools, who will attend subject-specific sessions led by experienced teachers specializing in competitive exam preparation.
According to WBCHSE, sessions will be held for four hours daily, with mock tests conducted at the end of each training cycle. Results will be provided on the same day of each test. Most of the coaching will take place during summer and Puja vacations, although some sessions may also be held after regular school hours during the academic term.
Speaking to The Indian Express, WBCHSE President Chiranjib Bhattacharya said, 'This is a very unique initiative. In the last 50 years since our inception, such an initiative has never been undertaken. Our primary objective is to support students – particularly those from rural areas – who aspire to pursue engineering or medicine but lack the financial means to afford private coaching. We will provide this support completely free of cost.'
Bhattacharya emphasised that many capable students from the districts do not receive proper training opportunities. 'With this initiative, we aim to bridge that gap and support their career aspirations,' he added.
The program will be divided into two separate batches: one for engineering aspirants focusing on physics, chemistry, and mathematics (PCM), and another for medical aspirants with a focus on physics, chemistry, and biology (PCB). Students may opt to attend sessions from both batches if they wish.
To identify eligible candidates, WBCHSE has shortlisted the top ten science-stream schools in each district based on their 2024 Higher Secondary examination performances. From each school, five to six top-performing science students will be selected for the program.
In addition to the coaching sessions, the Council will also launch an interactive query feature through an Artificial Intelligence chatbot. This platform will allow students to raise questions related to competitive exams and receive timely responses. These sessions will be live-streamed on the Council's official Facebook and YouTube channels, and will include open Q&A segments for all interested students.
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