Almost three years after it was launched, the Indian Army's ‘Kashmir Super 30’ initiative for medical aspirants in the Valley continues to get a positive response from the Kashmiri youth. Under the programme, the Army had been providing free coaching for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to students from J&K.
Back in 2018, the Indian Army had seen successful implementation of its engineering ‘Super 40’ scheme which saw 28 students from J&K belonging to economically weaker sections, and far-flung areas of the region, making the cut to prestigious institutions like IITs and NITs,
The ‘Kashmir Super 30’ was also started with an aim to engage the local youth and bring them to mainstream so that they can serve the country.
"Coaching is provided to poor students who want to crack medical and engineering exams but they do not have the financial facilities or resources to do the same. The program is a 12-months course which provides coaching in subjects like physics, chemistry, zoology and botany for six hours daily," Rohit Srivastava, the Managing Trustee of Super 30 Coaching Centre, told news agency ANI.
"Out of the first batch, 19 students were selected in MBBS and Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) courses while the rest got selected in other subsidiary branches. In the second batch, out of 33 students, six were selected in MBBS, seven in BDS, two in Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc), five in Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery and the rest in other medical colleges," Srivastava added.
The program is executed by the National Integrity & Educational Development Organization which looks into the teaching faculty while the Army oversees administration and logistics.
"This is a one year course for NEET coaching in which a total of 30 students are selected from the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The selection process starts with a written examination of the syllabus which is followed by interviews on various subjects," Jagbeer Singh, a student of Super 30, told ANI.
"If we opt for private coaching for the examination, then we will have to pay around ₹2- 3 lakh apart from expenses like travelling and accommodation," he added.
"Here, we are provided coaching for NEET and MBBS which is very beneficial as we are provided quality education by a great faculty," said Arif Bhat, while another student Sahil Ajaz said that students from far-flung areas of the state try for coaching at the centre as the quality of education provided is very good.
"More such institutions should be there so that the poor students also get a chance to change their life," Ajaz added.
