Hyderabad: Nearly 70 years after Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary conquered Mount Everest, scaling the peak is still a dream for many across the world. But not for students of government-run Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions in India’s youngest State, that too those from the most backward and marginalised communities, who are now climbing the Everest and inspiring Bollywood movies on them.
That is what the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) is enabling them to do. Academic heights being scaled is the norm, mountains like Everest are almost an extracurricular activity. The success of Malavath Poorna and S Anand Kumar, who scaled the Mount Everest, has inspired more students to aim high, and many have cruised into India’s premier institutions like IITs, NITs, AIIMS etc.
After the formation of Telangana, the government established 104 residential schools and 30 residential degree colleges for women. Currently, the Society operates 268 residential educational institutions providing free high quality and value-based education to nearly 1.5 lakh students. Of the total, 175 institutions are exclusively for girls. The State government’s decision to set up degree colleges for women has been a boon for several women to pursue higher education, who otherwise would have had been married off at tender ages.
Admissions are no cakewalk
It might sound strange, but getting admission into these educational institutions is no cakewalk. Students have to sweat it out given the tough competition in the entrance examination.
Majority of the students who join these institutions are first-generation learners whose parents are farmers, agriculture labourers, vegetable vendors, mechanics, masons, cooks, maids, auto drivers etc. Enduring severe hardships, these students are excelling in the toughest competitive exams like NEET, JEE Mains and Advanced. This year, 432 students from these institutions have qualified in the JEE Mains and 142 scripted success in the NEET. Since 2014, students of these institutions have secured 310 seats in MBBS/BDS courses, 126 in IITs, 214 in NITs, 165 in Delhi University, 59 in Indian Maritime University, two in IIM Rohtak etc.
The Society’s 34 Centres of Excellence are playing a key role in scripting success for these students from underprivileged sections. The centres provide free intensive coaching to students with the best teaching faculty and infrastructure. In fact, the Society has launched Operation Blue Crystal Programme, an intensive free long-term medical coaching for students from the SC community who cannot afford coaching in private institutions. This programme has been instrumental in securing a large number of seats in the MBBS and BDS courses every year.
Innovative programmes
The Society has also introduced several innovative programmes like language clubs, flipped classroom methodology, tab labs, coding, lecturers of life, mirror project, speaking walls, and circle time, Summer Samurai (annual summer camp) etc. Due to these programmes, there has been a quantum leap in the success of students.
International fellowships
Not just the IITs and AIIMS, students from TSWREIS institutions too have bagged international fellowships in international universities. So far, 19 students have been selected for international fellowships like Harvard Summer Crossroads programme, Kennedy-Lugar Youth Student Exchange Programme, US GRAD Fellowship and Community College Initiative Programme.
Specialised schools, colleges
After showing remarkable success in regular academics, the Society with the nod from the State government has ventured into specialised education. Accordingly, a School of Fine Arts and Film Technology, Sainik School, Freedom Schools, Vocational Colleges and Social Welfare Armed Forces Preparatory Degree for Women were set up.
After showing remarkable success in regular academics, the Society with the nod from the State government has ventured into specialised education. Accordingly, a School of Fine Arts and Film Technology, Sainik School, Freedom Schools, Vocational Colleges and Social Welfare Armed Forces Preparatory Degree for Women were set up.The TSWR Sainik School at Rukmapur, Karimnagar, tasted its first success recently with two of its cadets cracking the NDA & NA examination-II to join the National Defence Academy as officers.
The Society with assistance from the State government has also been churning out international and national sports players from 23 sports academies which are training students in cricket, golf, athletics, boxing etc. In the last five years, the Society bagged 16 international medals including six gold medals in the last two years. At the national level, the sports medals tally stands at 125 with 73 gold medals alone.
The TSWREIS now plans to impart legal education to students by introducing an integrated law course in one of its degree colleges.
The achievements of these institutions stand testament to the Telangana government’s vision of providing high quality holistic and value-based education to marginalised children on a par with other privileged children.
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