Stethoscopes over stereotypes: 12 out of 25 girls from one UP sarkari school cut through NEET odds
Live Events
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
In a remarkable achievement, 12 girls from Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Marihan, Mirzapur district, Uttar Pradesh, have successfully cleared this year's NEET exam—the country's toughest medical entrance test . These girls, all from SC/ST and OBC communities, were part of a group of 25 students from the school who appeared for the exam, reported TOI.Princy, whose father works as a farm labourer, once feared her dream of becoming a doctor would remain out of reach due to financial constraints. Pooja Ranjan, daughter of a farmer from Sonbhadra, never thought she could afford medical coaching. Shweta from Kaushambi, who grew up in a small shop selling bicycle seat covers, had limited ambitions beyond government school education.Yet, all three are now on the path to becoming doctors. "I never imagined that this would be possible. I am still surprised," Pooja told TOI.According to the report, the girls benefited from free residential coaching provided by the Sarvodaya school in Marihan. Along with regular classes from grades 6 to 12, the school offers hostel facilities for students from economically weaker families."Sarvodayas are residential schools, and these girls were staying in Marihan. In addition to regular school, they also attended coaching specifically for NEET, which was completely free," social welfare minister Asim Arun told TOI.The NEET coaching program, launched in 2024, provides focused training to prepare students for competitive exams."The coaching provided to us was top class. We had regular tests to help us prepare. I never thought that coaching here would be so good that I would be able to clear this exam," said Pooja. "But with my hard work and assistance from govt, my dream has come true."Social Welfare Minister Asim Arun said the program targets girls from neighboring districts, and those selected were brought to Marihan with the consent of their families. Princy, Pooja, and Shweta all moved to Marihan for this specialized coaching after clearing entrance requirements.The success of this batch has raised hopes for the future of Sarvodaya Vidyalayas across UP. Kumar Prashant, Social Welfare Director, called the Marihan school a 'center of excellence' and said this model would be expanded to other Sarvodaya schools, which number about 100 in the state.This initiative, supported by Tata AIG and the Ex-Navodayan Foundation, is an encouraging example of how targeted government programs can help talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds reach their potential.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Free online workshop on NEET counselling
Vidyaposhak, Dharwad, will organise a free online workshop at noon on June 26 on NEET counselling 2025 for students aspiring to pursue medical education. Varun Shetty will be the resource person for the workshop in which details regarding NEET counselling, ranking, cut-off and seat selection will be shared. Interested students are requested to register their names before June 24 either on Ph: 0836-2747357 or through WhatsApp Ph: 9980125686, 8861201828. Students are requested to join the online workshop 10 minutes in advance by clicking on the link: (Meeting ID: 835 3747 8081, Passcode: 123456).
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Stethoscopes over stereotypes: 12 out of 25 girls from one UP sarkari school cut through NEET odds
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In a remarkable achievement, 12 girls from Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Marihan, Mirzapur district, Uttar Pradesh, have successfully cleared this year's NEET exam—the country's toughest medical entrance test . These girls, all from SC/ST and OBC communities, were part of a group of 25 students from the school who appeared for the exam, reported whose father works as a farm labourer, once feared her dream of becoming a doctor would remain out of reach due to financial constraints. Pooja Ranjan, daughter of a farmer from Sonbhadra, never thought she could afford medical coaching. Shweta from Kaushambi, who grew up in a small shop selling bicycle seat covers, had limited ambitions beyond government school all three are now on the path to becoming doctors. "I never imagined that this would be possible. I am still surprised," Pooja told to the report, the girls benefited from free residential coaching provided by the Sarvodaya school in Marihan. Along with regular classes from grades 6 to 12, the school offers hostel facilities for students from economically weaker families."Sarvodayas are residential schools, and these girls were staying in Marihan. In addition to regular school, they also attended coaching specifically for NEET, which was completely free," social welfare minister Asim Arun told NEET coaching program, launched in 2024, provides focused training to prepare students for competitive exams."The coaching provided to us was top class. We had regular tests to help us prepare. I never thought that coaching here would be so good that I would be able to clear this exam," said Pooja. "But with my hard work and assistance from govt, my dream has come true."Social Welfare Minister Asim Arun said the program targets girls from neighboring districts, and those selected were brought to Marihan with the consent of their families. Princy, Pooja, and Shweta all moved to Marihan for this specialized coaching after clearing entrance success of this batch has raised hopes for the future of Sarvodaya Vidyalayas across UP. Kumar Prashant, Social Welfare Director, called the Marihan school a 'center of excellence' and said this model would be expanded to other Sarvodaya schools, which number about 100 in the initiative, supported by Tata AIG and the Ex-Navodayan Foundation, is an encouraging example of how targeted government programs can help talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds reach their potential.
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
12 Dalit and OBC girls from remote UP government school crack NEET-UG, draw praises
Mirzapur, Twelve girls belonging to Dalit and OBC communities from a government residential school in the remote Marihan area of Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur district have cracked the NEET-UG examination this year, drawing praises from several quarters. Many people hailed it as a "milestone" in the region's progress. According to officials, a total of 25 girls from Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Marihan appeared for the NEET-UG exam, the results of which were declared on June 14. Among them, Shweta Pal, Kumari Pooja Ranjan, Princi, Malti, Komal Kumari, Lakshmi, Anuradha, Komal, Laxmi, Sabhya Prajapati, Dipti Gupta and Pooja Sonkar cleared the test. All of them belonged to SC , ST and OBC communities. Shweta Pal, one of the girls who were qualified, said she felt elated by the results. "Our teachers and wardens ensured that we stayed focused on our studies. My Chemistry teacher Arvind sir and Biology teacher Sudhir sir were always available for help. Our school provided indoor and outdoor games facilities if we needed to refresh." Shweta's father Heera Lal also praised the school's support system. "The school and hostel facilities were excellent. The teachers were cooperative and encouraging," he said. Ramesh Ranjan, father of another successful candidate, Pooja Ranjan, said his daughter was excited that she cleared the test in her first attempt. He said she previously studied at the Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Sonbhadra before shifting to Marihan for Classes 11 and 12. "Pooja scored 81 per cent in the UP Board exams because she worked hard. She studied 16 to 18 hours a day six hours of school, five hours of coaching, and six to seven hours of self-study," he added. The girls' achievement have drawn the attention of higher-ups. Uttar Pradesh's Minister for Social Welfare Asim Arun congratulated the successful students. Terming the feat as a "brilliant success", he wished them a bright future. "Some years from now, these girls will become doctors and save people's lives, make them healthy. We will ensure that there is no interruption in the scholarship of these girls," he said in an X post on Tuesday. Lauding the school for its efforts, District Magistrate Priyanka Niranjan said, "This is a milestone for the area. Sarvodaya Vidyalaya of Marihan has proved to be an exemplary model for government schools. This is a residential school, the girls have been studying here for two or more years. In addition to regular schooling, they also attended coaching for NEET and JEE. Lodging, boarding and education everything here was free." District Social Welfare Officer Trinetra Singh said, "Marihan Sarvodaya Vidyalaya was developed as a Centre of Excellence. Both the Deputy Director of Social Welfare and I kept a close watch on their grooming and coaching. We provided all required facilities books, coaching, food, and indoor-outdoor games." According to Director of Social Welfare Department Kumar Prashant, the Centre of Excellence initiative at Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Marihan was being run in collaboration with Ex-Navodayan Foundation in Varanasi and Tata AIG. He said a total of 39 girls received free coaching for NEET and JEE at the centre. Of them, 26 students registered for NEET, 25 appeared and 12 were qualified. The Social Welfare Department currently runs around 100 Sarvodaya Vidyalaya residential campuses across the state for economically weaker students from Classes 6 to 12. These institutions provide free quality education along with coaching for competitive exams, and create new opportunities for students from marginalised communities.
