I even feigned indifference to the course earlier

COIMBATORE: Her world came crashing down on November 20 when M Arifa Thasleema came to know that she had to pay Rs 3.75 lakh to secure a medical seat at Rajah Muthiah Dental College and Hospital in Cuddalore. The daughter of daily-wage labourers, Arifa had no other go but to forgo her dream. Reluctantly, she told her parents that she was not interested in joining the course. 

Later, it was the dean of the medical college who told her about the 7.5 per cent horizontal reservation for government school students and that she did not have to pay fees. Now, Arifa’s joy knows no bounds as she got admission to Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) at the college.

Speaking to TNIE, Arifa said that she joined Biology stream for her higher secondary as her ambition is to become a doctor, thereby serving the society. “Though I was doubtful whether I could clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), my Biology teacher Jasmin Crystal motivated me and helped me until I joined the college,” she said. 

Arifa said that when her school teachers take classes, they used to point out the important portions needed for the NEET exam. “I used to note them down and it helped me get 456 marks out of 600 in class XI. After that, I started preparing for the exam all by myself using educational materials provided by the teachers.

Besides, I had attended Ebox NEET online classes and tests without fail and it was very useful to me and I got 135 marks in NEET,” she added. As many as 21 government school students from Coimbatore got a chance to join MBBS and BDS courses in government and private medical colleges this year, thanks to the 7.5% horizontal reservation.