Delhi govt school students to get free coaching for NEET, JEE entrance exams

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will provide free preparatory coaching for entrance exams like the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) to its students willing to make their career in the field of engineering, medical and other technical fields, officials said on Wednesday.

The Directorate of Education (DoE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 'Avanti Fellows' to prepare students for the entrance examinations. "In the first year of the programme, 6,000 children of classes 11-12 selected from Delhi government schools will be provided free coaching for the preparation of various entrance examinations, through test series, necessary academic support for these examinations and regular mentoring during preparation," deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said.

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"Earlier, this free coaching program was introduced in a few schools, on a pilot basis, and the results were excellent. More than 160 girls from the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) categories are getting free coaching for NEET by experts, under this programme," he added.

Sisodia, who is also the Delhi education minister, said many children dream of getting higher education from the best medical or engineering institutions to become doctors and engineers. "But their parents are not able to afford expensive coachings. Now, this picture is set to change in Delhi. With this step of the government, thousands of future doctors-engineers, scientists, STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) experts, among others, will now be prepared in the government schools of Delhi, who will make India proud globally," he said.

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Currently, more than 30,000 students are enrolled in the Science stream across all Delhi government schools. "The free test preparation programme will help these students get admission in top graduate programs and diploma courses in STEM-based fields, engineering, MBBS/BDS, pharmacy, nursing, paramedical courses and research programs, and promote STEM education," the minister added.