12 Dalit and OBC girls from remote UP government school crack NEET-UG, draw praises
Mirzapur (PTI): 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 (scheduled castes), ST (scheduled tribes) and OBC (other backward classes) 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 (Independent Charge) 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.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
