Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh is a tribal zone. The literacy rate here is 43.3%. And still, 55 students from this area have cleared the IIT-JEE Mains. Most of them belong to small villages and have to walk several kilometers to reach their government-run schools.
This achievement has to be credited to a young IAS officer, Anurag Chaudhary, the CEO of Jhabua Zila Panchayat. Impossible isn't a word these kids like to use now. "The challenge was that Jhabua had high illiteracy rate and even those who study hardly opt for mathematics despite being bright students," he said.
Chaudhary roped in the best government schoolteachers of physics, chemistry, and mathematics and they took classes for the students after school hours and on holidays. It worked like a charm.
Expenses for this mission were met by pooling in funds received under different government schemes. "This special coaching has been on for two years now. The number of selected students has gone up to 55 from 30 last year," said an official. Those who cleared the Mains will now be sent to Indore to prepare for IIT-JEE Advanced.
Read more of this report by Ankur Sirothial published in TOI....
This story says how a mission undertaken by an IAS officer can change the lives of so many. Hope more such inspiring work comes to light.
