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TSix tribal students from schools run by the Tamil Nadu Tribal Welfare Department and four from private institutions have secured admissions in premier institutions, including the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchy (NIT-T), National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), and National Law University (NLU), this year.
Even as only three of the six rounds of Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) counselling have been completed so far, five tribal students from Tiruchy district — one from a government school and four others from private institutions — have already secured seats at NIT-T. The lot includes four girls.
Sources from the institution said it is for the first time that these many students from tribal communities have got into the institution during the first three rounds of counselling.
Rohini, the girl from the hills who is going to NIT Tiruchy
Among them is M Rohini (18), a student from the government tribal residential higher secondary school in Chinna Illupur. Securing 73.8% in the JEE Mains examination, she was ranked 6,910 in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. She has been allotted a seat in the Chemical Engineering department.
Hailing from the Malayali tribal community, Rohini's parents are agricultural daily-wage labourers in Kerala. She lives with her elder brother and his wife who work as agricultural labourers in Chinna Illuppur.
Rohini is the first in their family to pursue a professional degree. "Frequent tests were conducted based on previous year's question papers, apart from special classes. While I was able to write the JEE Mains examination well, the Advanced examination was quite challenging. However, I am happy that I got into a reputed institution and hope to do well," said Rohini.
The other tribal students who got admitted to NIT-T are:
- K Kavini from Kailasapuram (Bachelor of Architecture) with a rank of 302
- PN Rithika from Mutharasanallur (Computer Science Engineering) with a rank of 2,538
- G Dhiya Preetha from Poolangudi (Production Engineering) with a rank of 7,106
- Dhanush Rajkuamr Bangaru from Kailasapuram (Production Engineering) with a rank of 8,872
A Ajai from Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) in M Palada of The Nilgiris district has been admitted to the National Law University in Tiruchy. Two students, K Meena and S Durga, from EMRS in Puliyampatti of Tiruvannamalai district will pursue Bachelor of Design course at NIFT.
E Palaniyamal and K Thavamani from the government tribal residential school in Maniyarpalayam of Kallakurichi district have joined the Bachelor of Fashion Technology programme at the same institute. All five students belong to the Malayali tribal community.
"Students interested in taking the NIFT entrance examination were accommodated on the institute’s campus for two training sessions that lasted for four days. This support helped them perform well in the examination. Many tribal students are unaware of the opportunities available to them. Over the past two years, we have taken the initiative to inform them and provide coaching to help them achieve good higher education," said Rosalin, Headmaster of EMRS, Tiruvannamalai.
A tribal welfare department official said, "We are taking initiatives to ensure that many tribal students join premier higher education institutions under the Nan Mudhalvan scheme. The government will pay the entire fee of government schools students who join these institutions. We expect at least three more students to get admitted in central institutions this year."
