80 students from govt. schools in rural T.N. selected for residential training in Chennai

Eighty students from government schools in rural parts of Tamil Nadu will be participating in a residential training programme at the Centre of Academic Excellence in Chennai. The selection was based on their performance in the National Means CumMerit Scholarship (NMMS) exam, National Talent Search Exam (NTSE), Tamil Nadu Rural Students Talent Search Examination (TRUST), regular exams and extra curricular activities.

“This marks the first instance where students from 38 districts of Tamil Nadu have been chosen for the training at the Chennai centre, acclaimed as the premier model government school in the State by educators. Formerly, selection was confined to government schools in Chennai district,” a governmentmodel school coordinator said.

Established in 2022, the centre is among 32 model government schools offering residential training to outstanding students. This

“This is the first instance where students from 38 districts have been chosen for the training’

year, each district’s Education Department selected 40 students from Class 8 taught in Tamil and English, doubling the previous year’s selection of 20 to join district model schools. Out of 1,520 students in total, 80 were finally selected.

The chosen students will undergo their higher secondary education (Classes 9 to 12) in Chennai free of charge. Further, those selected through state or national examinations will receive corresponding scholarship funds.

In April, these students are expected to commence their Class 9 studies at the centre, where they will receive special training for nationallevel competitive exams such as the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), National EligibilitycumEntrance Test (NEET), Common Law Admissions

Test (CLAT), and others.

Students will also be provided food, lodging, textbooks, additional study material, uniforms, and a tablet, all free of cost, to support their academic pursuits.

The programme will also focus on holistic development through field excursions, personality enhancement sessions, and psychological counselling, aimed at fostering both academic and personal advancement.

T. Poornesh, a student from Coimbatore, expressed his enthusiasm about joining the model school in Chennai. “Not only will this opportunity expand my horizons for better educational and employment opportunities, but it will also help me acquire soft skills that are necessary to do well in any field today,” he said. Poornesh is one among the three selected from the district.

This year, Tiruvallur district leads with 18 students selected to join the centre, followed by Erode with 8, Salem with 7, and Dharmapuri with 5.