Latest news with #Super100
Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
‘Unwanted' girl child, she has outshone everyone in family
Before Manvi (name changed) was born, relatives advised her parents to abort the girl child, their third daughter. "One more?" her father was told, once the family based in Rohtak's Hassangarh had coerced them into illegally getting a gender determination test done. The couple ignored the lot. After Manvi was born, they ensured she went to school. She was a bright student. Her marks and teachers' appreciation filled them with pride. "Manvi wanted to study science after Class 10. Govt schools in our village did not offer that. So, I started looking for options so that she could continue studying," her father told TOI. That was in 2018. The same year, Haryana launched Super 100, the state's special teaching programme in collaboration with Vilap Foundation to prepare children from economically weaker sections for competitive exams like IIT-JEE. Manvi aced the entrance exam and shifted to the centre in Kurukshetra for the residential programme. In 2020, she cracked JEE Advanced and got a seat in the computer science course at IIT Gandhinagar. Now 24, she works as a financial analyst for a Jaipur-based firm and takes home an annual package of Rs 12 lakh, outshining everyone else in her family. "I wanted to work in tech since I was in Class VI. Back then, it was a vague dream. It wasn't until I reached Class XI and enrolled in Super100 that I realised the journey would be difficult. Since I studied in a village, I had to go back to the basics to catch up. I had to also balance studying for IIT entrance exams and my regular schoolwork," Manvi said. Govt school students who clear Class 10 are eligible for Super 100. If selected, the students complete their schooling till Class 12 in Kurukshetra alongside their entrance exam training. Naveen Kumar Mishra, an IIT-Delhi graduate who teaches at the Kurukshetra centre, said Manvi was a resolute kid. "To the extent that she wouldn't line up in the canteen's queue to take more rotis after the first serving because she didn't want to waste time not studying," he said. One day, he recalled, some students told the staff snacks they had brought from home were missing. "It didn't take long for us to realise that Manvi might have been having them because she remained hungry. Eventually, we started keeping extra snacks for her. No student should have to choose between hunger and education," Mishra said. For many other govt school students, competitive exams in English is another challenge. Many of them have only studied in Hindi-medium schools. Lack of language skills and confidence was among reasons that the education department launched Super 100 to give govt school students an equal chance to compete with their counterparts from private schools or from families that are better off. In the years since, approximately 1,900 students have been enrolled in the programme, of which 252 have made it to IITs and 244 have cleared the medical entrance test NEET. Many of these success stories are of students from villages in Hisar, Jind, Kaithal and Bhiwani. Kajal, another groomed at Super 100, achieved what she hadn't even dreamt of. The 22-year-old said her father runs a shop in Fatehabad's Inda Chohi village and her hope was to get a "decent job" to "make her parents proud". She was 15 when she joined Super 100's first batch of students in 2018. Kajal went on to study BTech (computer science) from IIT Bombay and landed a job with tech giant Microsoft. "Now, I dream of becoming an IAS officer. I never thought I would have such a vision, but this journey has made me realise the power of dreaming big," she said. Like Manvi and Kajal, 22-year-old Kamal Sharma of Faridabad had humble beginnings. Growing up, he shared a single room with his parents and two brothers. His father, an electrician, always put his family first. "I've seen my father wear the same clothes, day in and day out. He never bought new clothes for himself and worked tirelessly. That's the kind of selflessness that I grew up seeing. His sacrifices made me realise that nothing is impossible if you are willing to work for it, no matter how tough life gets," Kamal said. Now employed with a private firm as a software developer in Gurgaon, the youngster said he was always trying to find pockets of time to study – in free periods at school, even during PT classes. Kamal's elder brother, in 2019, was the first in the family to get a job at a monthly salary of Rs 30,000. "That was a milestone for our family. Now, my job, with a package of Rs 20 LPA, has transformed our family," he said. A Super 100 spokesperson said a typical day at the centre includes not just classes, but yoga and assemblies, where the staff recites inspirational stories for motivation, fixed periods for peer-learning (similar to study groups) and self-study. "To implement and sustain this, the programme is supported by over 25 academic staff and 60 non-academic staff, who play vital roles in teaching, mentoring, monitoring, hostel management, and overall logistics," the spokesperson said. Though the programme was originally meant to pick a batch of 100, enrolments have expanded. This year, 46,000 students applied for entrance exams to Super 100, of which 401 were chosen. The 2025-27 session began on May 25. "The Haryana Super 100 programme is not just about competition but also support and collective growth. Students help each other solve problems. One of the most memorable incidents was in the first six months when these students had to study while sitting on the floor due to lack of furniture. When benches arrived, their joy was akin to a child receiving a prized toy," said Saket, who teaches at the Kurukshetra centre. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
03-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
U'khand govt starts 'Super 100' program to give free coaching to medical, engineering aspirants
Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government on Monday started the 'Super 100' programme to provide free coaching to 100 meritorious students for the preparation of medical and engineering entrance examination. School Education Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat started the programme for Class 12 science students studying in government schools under the " Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan ". Under the programme, 100 meritorious students of the state have been selected on the basis of entrance examination. He said that in this programme to be run in Dehradun for a total of 45 days from June 1 to July 15, all the facilities will be given free to the selected students, which includes food, accommodation, study material and arrangement of teachers for coaching. The minister said that the cooperation of Avanti Fellows organisation is also being taken in this programme. Additional State Project Director of Samagra Shiksha Kuldeep Gairola said that after 45 days of offline studies, these students will return to their schools and after that they will be given online coaching for the whole year. He said that during coaching, students will be continuously evaluated so that they can prepare for competitive examinations in a better way. PTI
The Star
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
A bigger and more lucrative Malaysian Open on the cards
Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei - Nur Izzuddin in action for mens double match during the Malaysia Open 2025 at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Open could be set for a major revamp, with a longer duration and increased prize money on the cards. Under the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) new Super 1000 concept, the men's and women's singles will feature a group-stage format with 48 entries each, while the doubles events will retain a 32-pair knockout draw. The tournament is expected to span 11 days, ending on a Sunday. And under this new format, a total of 219 matches are expected to be played throughout the tournament. Prize money will also be increased, with BWF set to cover the minimum prize commitments, easing the financial burden on hosts. Another key change will see Super 100 tournaments fully integrated into the BWF World Tour's commercial framework from 2027. Consequently, the number of Super 100 events will be trimmed from 10 to eight annually, while Super 300 tournaments will also be reduced from 11 to eight . Both levels, however, are expected to be upgraded in terms of profile and presentation. However, the tournament duration for these two tiers including Super 750 and Super 500 will remain at six competition days. "We want to ensure a clear differentiation between the levels of events to highlight the prominence of the highest-level events, while still maintaining a family relationship between the tournaments under the BWF World Tour umbrella brand. 'Top players must also consistently perform at the highest levels of the structure,' said BWF, describing one of the objectives they hope to achieve through this new concept. Malaysia has been among the elite Super 1000 hosts since 2023, alongside the All-England, Indonesian Open and China Open. However, that status is only guaranteed until 2026, and it remains uncertain whether the Malaysian Open will continue to feature at the top tier in the next cycle. Still, the BWF are assuming that hosts from the 2023–2026 cycle will be keen to continue staging the same tournaments at the same level in the 2027–2030 calendar, with a final decision expected around November. At the same time, the world body are inviting member associations to show their interest to host one or more tournaments in the next cycle, based on the newly proposed structure. Concerns over the congested calendar and modest prize money in badminton have been raised before including by legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei. Earlier this year, two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen also urged the BWF to extend Super 1000 tournaments like the Malaysian Open, much like tennis Grand Slams, to give players more time to rest and recover between intense matches.
The Star
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Johor Badminton Association to organise Super 100 meet in October
KOTA TINGGI: In line with Johor's ambition to become a hub for local sports, the Johor Badminton Association will host the Super 100 tournament from Oct 14-19. Association president Datuk Chong Juong Chain said they received the offer in March and had been working since then to ensure the smooth running of the event. Officials from the Badminton World Federation (BWF) have also inspected the competition venue at the Indoor Arena, Educity Sports Complex in Iskandar Puteri to ensure it meets the required technical standards. For Juong Chain, this is a golden opportunity, as most of the tournaments on the BWF World Tour calendar, particularly the Malaysian Open and Malaysian Masters, have long been associated with Kuala Lumpur. It has been a while since a BWF World Tour event was held outside the Klang Valley. The last time fans outside the region got to witness one was in 2017, when Sarawak hosted the Malaysian Open in Kuching and the Masters in Sibu. "We're grateful for the support from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), and we will be organising the Super 100 tournament this year," Juong Chain said on Tuesday (May 27). "These major tournaments have been held in Kuala Lumpur for far too long, so we want to take this opportunity. "Besides, we're also focused on badminton development in Johor, especially as the state is gearing up to become a sporting hub. That's the direction we're heading in, and badminton is one of the key sports we're prioritising. "As for the venue, we've already met with BWF and received their approval. We're now ironing out several other details with BAM." The Malaysia Super 100 was introduced in 2023 with a total prize purse of US$100,000. The inaugural edition was held in Kuala Lumpur and organised by the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Association (KLBA) at Stadium Titiwangsa. Men's singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao and mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See claimed titles in the debut edition. The following year saw BAM take over the tournament, which was then held at Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara. Malaysia once again secured two titles, this time through men's doubles pair Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong and women's doubles duo Teoh Mei Xing-Go Pei Kee. While Johor is no stranger to hosting international badminton tournaments, the last time it welcomed a world-level event was 11 years ago when the Malaysian Masters was held in Pasir Gudang.
The Star
09-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Mixed doubles coach Nova earmarks Bing Kun as he eyes more talents
Gelling well: Loo Bing Kun has been paired with Toh Ee Wei and they have shown encouraging performances. — BAM PETALING JAYA: National mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto is casting a wider net and that includes eyeing women's doubles players in his bid to form new and formidable pairings. With a lack of quality options in the current mixed doubles pool, Nova is now considering players from the women's doubles squad under coach Rosman Razak as potential partners for his male shuttlers. Among the names on Nova's radar is Go Pei Kee, who is currently partnering Teoh Mei Xing in the women's doubles. At present, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei and Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin remain the only established pairs in the national team. Nova, however, is set to continue reshuffling the other combinations until he finds a strong line-up. 'I've spoken to Rexy (Mainaky), the coaching director, and the management about this. I want to try out all the players, so there's no fixed partnership for now. 'We'll keep looking. If we can't form four solid pairs, even two will be enough. I want to keep mixing things up to assess the players' real character. You can't fully see that during training. It only comes out in tournament situations when their mental strength is put to the test. 'Rosman is also supportive of this idea. We have Pei Kee, and maybe even (Cheng) Su Hui or Vanee (Gobi),' said Nova. Nova is currently experimenting with two new combinations pairing Loo Bing Kun with Toh Ee Wei, and Chen Tang Jie with Chan Wen Tse and both pairs have shown encouraging performances at this week's Taiwan Open. In fact, Nova believes Bing Kun has the potential to become a key figure in the mixed doubles squad. But to take his game to the next level, the player can no longer afford to compete only in lower-tier tournaments. 'This is a valuable experience for both Bing Kun and Wen Tse. It gives them a chance to gauge their level in the senior ranks and assess themselves. For me, as long as they can enjoy the match without pressure, that's already a good start. 'Bing Kun is no longer young, and I don't want him to remain stuck in International Challenge-level tournaments. He should at least be playing in Super 300 events, or at the very least, Super 100, to see if he can reach his full potential. 'I don't think he'll be reunited with his previous partner Ho Lo Ee. He will be given a new partner moving forward, and the same goes for Lo Ee, who might even compete in two events,' Nova added.
