R Kavitha, a tribal student from the Malayali tribal community in Puliyampatti in Tiruvannamalai district, has secured a BTech seat in the Naval Architecture and Ship Building programme at the Indian Maritime University (IMU), Visakhapatnam.

Ever since Kavitha lost her father, Rajapattu (44), while she was in Class 11, her mother R Poongodi has been supporting the family by working as a domestic help in Kuwait. She completed her Class 12 as a student at the Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) at Puliyampatti, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

Kavitha now lives with her grandmother Unnamalai, elder sister R Priya, and younger brother R Vignesh, a Class 7 student. "My sister completed Class 12 two years ago but couldn't pursue college due to financial difficulties. After my mother left for Kuwait, she had to look after our brother too," said Kavitha.

Many women in Puliyampatti and nearby areas work abroad due to poor job opportunities and low wages locally, she added. Determined to take a different path, Kavitha said she chose a non-conventional course.

"During CUET (Common University Entrance Test) coaching at EMRS in Kumili, Chengalpattu, I learned about IMU and was immediately interested. Though it's a male-dominated field, I wanted to pursue it," she said. Kavitha later cleared IMU's common entrance test for admission.

Since IMU is a premier institution, the state government would cover the cost of her education. "This will ease our financial burden and allow us to use my mother's income for my sister's higher education," she said.

So far, 118 students from government tribal schools have gained admission to top institutions across the country, which include one each in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Tamil Nadu National Law University in Tiruchy, and government funded technical institute; three each in National Institute of Technology (NIT) Tiruchy, the School of Excellence in Law, and the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET); two in National Institutes of Hotel Management, and 104 in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International School of Textiles and Management in Coimbatore, according to the report by The New Indian Express.