T.N. government’s ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme helps Adi Dravidar, Tribal Welfare school students to get into IIT, NIT, NIFT 

Tamil Nadu students achieve dreams of higher education at top institutions through 'Naan Mudhalvan' scheme, supported by government.

It was a dream come true for C. Parthasarathy, a student of Government Adi Dravidar Welfare Higher Secondary School at Sundararajapuram in Virudhunagar district when he came to know about his admission to the Aerospace Design Department at the Indian Institute of Technology - Madras.

He was the first student from the schools administered by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare department in the State to get into an IIT, thanks to the Tamil Nadu government’s flagship ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme. Speaking to The Hindu, the 18-year-old student, expressed happiness about joining IIT to pursue his dream. “The coaching classes for the IIT Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains were conducted by teachers in our school. After clearing the exam, experts from Chennai helped me to clear the JEE Advanced,” said Mr. Parthasarathy, who attributed his success to his teachers and trainers.

L. Suganya and M. Rohini from Government Tribal Residential (GTR) Higher Secondary Schools at Kariyakovilvalavu in Salem district and Chinna Illuppur near Pachamalai in Tiruchi district respectively were slated to join the National Institute of Technology (NIT) - Tiruchi, after being trained under the ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme. They said they were trained by the teachers in the high-tech labs in their respective schools and found the programme very helpful.

“I never expected my son would pursue higher education at the Tamil Nadu National Law University in Tiruchi. He is the first generation in our family to go for higher studies and I am grateful to the teachers for their constant encouragement and guidance,” said R. Arumugam, whose son A. Ajai, a student of Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) in Nilgiris district cleared the Common Law Admission Test.

Similarly, K. Meena and S. Durga, students of EMRS, Puliyampatti in Tiruvannamalai district; E. Palaniyammal and K. Thavamani from GTR Higher Secondary School at Maniyarpalayam in Kallakurichi district; will join the National Institute of Fashion Technology at Taramani in Chennai. Recently, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin felicitated all eight students and distributed laptops to them.

G. Laxmi Priya, Secretary, Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department, said video lectures of teachers from Model schools and experts were telecasted for seven weeks in schools. “Doubt-clearing sessions were organised to get students in-depth knowledge in various subjects. Special training programmes were imparted for students to participate in group discussions. From this year, the training programmes for entrance exams will be conducted throughout the academic year,” she added.