This Navodaya gives private schools a run for their money

BENGALURU: When Thanglenmang Haokip was studying in a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) in Manipur, he started dreaming of joining IIT. However, when he was in class X last year, his father passed away, making it impossible for him to join a private coaching centre.
It was then he learnt that JNV Bagalur in Doddaballapur district, 40km from Bengaluru, offers free IITJEE coaching for students.Without any second thought, Thanglenmang applied and shifted there for class XI this year.
Last month, he got one step closer to realizing his dream when he was selected for free coaching in the school. "Over 30 students from this school have been clearing IIT-JEE every year since 2009. The school offers four hours of intense coaching daily," he said.
He further said: "There's free education, food, and coaching for JEE. What more can students like me from far flung areas in northeast ask for?" It is one of the seven JNVs across the country to provide free IIT-JEE coaching to students. After an MoU with the central government in 2009, Dakshana Foundation (DF), an organization working towards eliminating poverty through education, started funding coaching centres to provide free JEE classes in seven JNVs.
For this programme, JNVs across the country conduct an entrance test for class X students and the selected students are shifted to the seven JNVs. In Bagalur, 50 students from class 11 and 12 each are provided JEE training by TIME coaching centre.
However, you would be mistaken if think the school focuses only on JEE. Since 2013-14, the school has achieved 100% pass in class X exams, 96.7% in class XII exams. The secret for this is discipline and a strict regimen, which starts at 5.30am. Siriya RG, a class 11 student, said: "The atmosphere inspires us to study more and work harder - even after dinner, most students continue discussing the les sons while IIT aspirants study till 1am."
Besides, the school has all the facilities that a private school would have -it offers Mandarin as a hobby language and provides archery training -so rural students from across the country aspire to study here. Take for instance Harigovind Ram, belonging to a poor family in Jaswanthpur, Rajasthan, who scored CGPA 9.6 in class 10 in his home state. He shifted o Karnataka for class XII."I want to join IIT Delhi. I joined this school as my parents can't afford the fees charged by private schools.
t has all the facilities such as computers and a good library."
While aiming big, these students never forget their poor families. "If I get a seat n IIT, Mumbai I will get a good job, after which I will provide good education to my brothers," said Omkar Kumar from Bihar who joined the JNV after class X.