Latest news with #IIIT
The Print
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Tripura govt focusing on education sector: Manik Saha
'We now have Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), National Forensic Science University (NFSU), National Law University (NLU), National Institute of Technology (NIT) and National Sanskrit University in Tripura,' he said. Saha speaking at a government programme in South Tripura's Sabroom said earlier the state used to have 10-15 medical seats but now it has 400 medical seats including MBBS. Agartala, Jun. 20 (PTI) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday said his government is focusing on the education sector so that students from the state don't need to go outside to study. The CM said the state government was spending crores of rupees for building infrastructure for the education sector in the state. He said the state's annual budget has increased to Rs 32,000 crore for 2025-26 FY from Rs 27,000 crore during 2024-25 FY. 'It is a giant leap in the state's budgetary outlay and it has been possible because the Centre is convinced that all round development is taking place in our state. Besides, the World Bank has given Rs 1,400 crore for development of infrastructure,' he said. Saha claimed the quantum of SGST has increased and Tripura has emerged as the second-highest state in terms of per capita income in the northeast. PTI PS RG This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Hindu
09-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Kota's forgotten students: What happens when you don't crack JEE Advanced
The coaching centres of Rajasthan's Kota, often dubbed India's coaching capital, claimed four of the top ten ranks in the JEE Advanced results announced last week. As photos of the toppers flood city banners and the media celebrates them with interviews, a large section of city's students — those who didn't make it through the country's toughest engineering entrance exam — are left crestfallen, confused and conflicted. The Hindu spoke to three generations of Kota students who couldn't realise the IIT dream, to understand how life unfolded for them beyond the JEE ranks. For K. Seema, who gave up her passion for writing short stories to devote herself entirely to the exam this year, it was a rude shock to find she missed the cut-off by two marks. A native of Jaipur, she lived in a hostel affiliated with her coaching centre in Kota. Her performance at the weekly tests were so good that she started dreaming of a settled life in half a decade. 'It was the only way out for our family to escape poverty. My parents are blue-collared workers, and as a family, we firmly believed that an IIT seat and a good job would help us move up the economic ladder,' she said. There are options — going to IIIT, MIT or even taking a gap year, often called the '13th batch' in Kota dictionary. But confused and derailed by the near miss, students like Seema slip into a state of despair. Seema has not been answering the calls from her friends and relatives and is currently uncertain about her future. 'Should I try again this year for a rank or settle for a private engineering college in Jaipur? What if I don't get it next year? I would have wasted lakhs of money for my family, who saved it by sacrificing their basic needs,' she said. On average, 15–20% of JEE–Advanced qualifiers in recent years have reportedly trained in Kota. Though many who don't make it fall into despair and take years to recover, some do see the positives in the intense training and dedication they learned here. If present trends are any indication, however, Kota culture may have run its course. According to industry experts, student enrolment in Kota fell sharply in 2024, with numbers ranging between 85,000 and 1 lakh. This marked a significant decline from the usual annual intake of 2 to 2.5 lakh students in previous years. The reason is largely attributed to the charged ecosystem and what it does to students, especially ones who don't make the cut in JEE Advanced and Mains. Beyond the IIT dream In Kota, for every student who cracks the JEE, there are dozens who don't. Behind the banners of toppers and celebration lies a quieter, heavier reality—of far more students grappling with disappointment than with success. In a city obsessed with ranks, the struggles of those who didn't make it remain unheard and unseen. Alumni of these coaching centres who didn't crack the exam know there's a world beyond the IIT dream. Having internalised discipline and grit during their time in Kota, many have upskilled through college and work and some have gone on to outshine even the IITians. Nishant Soni stayed away from playing keyboard for two years when he was studying for more than ten hours a day to crack the JEE exam in 2012. 'I joined the coaching centre in 2010 with a dream of becoming an IITian as my father is a professor in Physics. I have been exposed to an educational upbringing and I wanted to honour him,' Nishant said. When he got a rank of 1.2 lakh, he was so demotivated that he did not want to talk to anyone. He received no support from the coaching centre and the professors, as they were busy celebrating the toppers. 'They are focussed on their marketing with successful students. Coaching centres do not bat an eye to the students who do not make it,' Nishant added. These coaching centres, however, helped Nishant build discipline and understand the true value of hard work; he is now working as a Senior DevOps Engineer and consultant in a Canadian multinational company named Telus. 'I reconciled to the idea that it is not my potential to get into an IIT. Everyone is not meant to crack IIT,' he said, adding, 'Cracking IIT is not the only way to become successful. Though mediocre in my academics throughout my life , I am earning almost equal to what IITians are earning today. So the whole point is to become successful in life and not just successful in cracking an exam.' In reality, many of these students succeed. 'Many students who didn't crack the exams come back after a few years having found meaningful careers in completely different fields – film, entrepreneurship, teaching, design, public service and more. They talk about how stepping away from the rigid coaching system helped them rediscover their real interests. But unfortunately, these stories are rarely highlighted because they don't fit the conventional definition of success,' Dr Ghasi Ram Choudhary, former Head of the Political Science Department at Government College, University of Rajasthan, said. The blame game Rahul Sharma, another Kota product who gave the exam twice, 25 years ago, says that the coaching centres always project the JEE as a do or die situation. 'In the second attempt, I secured 4,600th rank. But, at that time, there were only 3,000 positions and I did not make it to IIT,' Rahul Sharma, who has launched a tech startup, said. A native of Kota, he was under the pressure from his childhood to bag the rank. His days would start with going to the school and end with finishing the assignments given by the coaching centres. 'For more than 12 hours a day, we would study. Even CBSE schools in Kota were not strict; they used to allow us to go to coaching centres from the afternoon. Basically, students would choose such schools,' Rahul said. When he found out he did not make it even in the second attempt, Rahul Sharma was heartbroken. 'You feel the sting when toppers are celebrated. I have put in all my efforts and no one appreciated it,' Rahul said. Empathy from coaching centres A scientific paper titled EPH270 Kota: The Emerging Suicide City of India said that the culture of competition has been generating excessive stress and anxiety among students, proving detrimental to their mental health. 'Recent statistics reveal that the suicide rate among coaching students is on rise with 32 suicides officially recorded in 2023 and 17 suicides officially recorded in Kota till May 2024,' the paper said, adding that the coaching institutes are developing effective counseling module/intervention strategy for students to overcome stress and stop resorting to suicide. Institutes such as Allen Career Institute, Resonance, and Motion have collaborated with platforms like YourDOST to provide counseling to students. 'After the Rajasthan government issued guidelines a year and a half ago, most centres appointed therapists—something that was earlier handled by teachers. There is one therapist for every 500–600 students in our institute. We also offer regular motivational sessions to support students, and every teacher acts as a mentor for a batch of about forty students, who can reach out to her to share any of their problems,' said a faculty member from a reputed coaching centre, seeking anonymity. Then, why are students still dying by suicide? In May 2025, the Supreme Court sharply reprimanded the Rajasthan government and Kota police, asking, 'Why are these children dying by suicide, and only in Kota?' — describing the situation as 'serious' and demanding accountability for the rising student deaths. Coaching centres attribute the suicides to constant pressure from families, peers, and society. 'Most of the pressure comes from parents, and it's very negative. Many of them come from humble backgrounds. In the advanced batch, which is segregated with the cream of intelligent students, 90 percent make it to IIT. However, in the bottom-tier batches, none of them do. Yet they come here and spend two years only to succumb to parental pressure,' the faculty member added. However, such measures in Kota are too little, too late. In most of the centres, teachers are hired and trained for their academic knowledge, not for their ability to offer emotional support or career advice. 'Students are not encouraged to talk about failure or alternatives beyond engineering and medicine. These conversations are either avoided or treated as distractions. There's a pressing need to train educators to engage with students more holistically,' says Dr Ghasi Ram Choudhary. Nishant, however, gives the parting shot. He says though he didn't go to an IIT, his startup employs IITians.
New Indian Express
06-06-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Odisha government to set up CoE on semiconductors at IIIT-BBS
BHUBANESWAR: In a major push to develop an ecosystem on emerging technologies, the Odisha government has mooted a proposal to set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Semiconductors at the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Bhubaneswar. The initiative, to be supported by the Electronics and Information Technology (E&IT) department, aims at strengthening Odisha's capabilities in semiconductor research, development, manufacturing, and advanced skill-building. The decision was taken after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi directed the department to rope in IIIT, Bhubaneswar for the CoE in view of the growing interest of industries in investing in the semiconductor sector in the state, particularly following the recent strategic push to support the electronics manufacturing ecosystem. Although the semiconductor sector holds immense potential for industrial growth, innovation and creation of high-value jobs, unavailability of skilled and industry-ready professionals continues to pose a significant challenge. 'There is an urgent need for a robust talent pipeline and a strong support ecosystem to ensure Odisha's competitiveness in this critical sector. The institute's existing infrastructure, faculty strength, and technological focus make it a suitable choice to anchor such an ambitious initiative,' said a senior official. The proposed centre will not only provide advanced training and capacity-building opportunities but will also facilitate cutting-edge research and development in semiconductor technologies. The state government will provide necessary financial and administrative support for the establishment of the CoE. The E&IT department has asked the IIIT, Bhubaneswar to submit a detailed proposal outlining the academic framework with focus on advanced training, research and innovation in semiconductor technologies by June 30. In a parallel academic initiative, the institute has also been advised to introduce post-graduate diploma and certificate courses in advanced semiconductor engineering starting from the 2026-27 academic year. 'The CoE is being planned in addition to the state's own initiative - Odisha Chip (O-Chip), which will address the difficulties experienced by the fabless ecosystem, and help set up a state-of-the-art facility for semiconductor designing and manufacturing,' the official said. The state government has already introduced a 'Semiconductor Manufacturing and Fabless Policy' and recently issued operational guidelines for facilitating investments and disbursing capital investment subsidies for projects.
New Indian Express
01-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
YSRCP leader Jagan Reddy demands free re-evaluation of SSC exams, urges action against HRD Minister Lokesh
VIJAYAWADA: YSRCP president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy lambasted the TDP-led NDA government over irregularities surfaced in the evaluation of recently announced SSC examinations. Demanding free re-evaluation of answer sheets and a pause on admission to institutions based on SSC results, he sought action against everyone responsible, including HRD Minister Lokesh. Accusing the government of failing to evaluate answer sheets properly and ensure transparent results, impacting 6.14 lakh students, Jagan, in a post on the social media platform 'X', pointed out that errors led to lost admission opportunities in institutions like IIIT and Gurukul Junior Colleges. He also alleged that the current dispensation has rolled back the educational reforms introduced by his government, including Nadu-Nedu (school infrastructure), Amma Vodi (financial aid to mothers), English-medium education, TOEFL classes from Class 3, and CBSE/IB curricula, harming the students' global competitiveness. The issue has sparked outrage online, with users sharing stories of students losing IIIT seats due to evaluation errors.
Time of India
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Recounting of SSC answer sheets reveal evaluation lapses in over 11,000 papers in Andhra Pradesh
Visakhapatnam: The revaluation/recounting process of class X (SSC) answer sheets, initiated by the Andhra Pradesh school education department, has preliminarily uncovered discrepancies in the evaluation of as many as 11,175 papers. Marks were increased between one to five in 8,863 papers and between six and 10 in 1,506 papers. More than 10 marks were increased in the remaining papers. The corrections reported so far have highlighted significant shortcomings in the evaluation process. Consequently, several students have already reported improved marks and, in some cases, have passed the examinations as a result of the recounting and re-evaluation. According to officials, a total of 64,251 applications for reverification and 2,112 for recounting were received from 34,709 students. The results for 47,484 of these scripts were released on May 16, and the official announcement regarding the release of remaining revaluation marks is yet to be made. This issue came to public attention after a meritorious student from Bapatla district was declared failed in the examiniation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Writing in English Doesn't Have to Feel Hard Grammarly Learn More Undo Emani Tejaswini, who studied at ZP high school in Kolluru of Bapatla district, scored an average of 95 marks out of 100 in five out of six subjects. She was initially awarded only 23 marks in social studies, and was declared to have failed the examinations. Her parents and teachers were shocked. However, upon re-evaluation, her marks in social studies were corrected to 96, raising her total to 575 (out of 600). Initially, Emani's parents expressed concern that, due to these developments, they had missed the deadline (May 20) to apply for the IIIT programme. However, govt later clarified that students who were unable to apply due to recounting-related issues would be allowed to submit their applications along with their revised mark sheets. Dr KV Srinivasulu Reddy, director of govt examinations department, said that a preliminary investigation revealed that these errors occurred as a result of the omission of one or more rows in the four-row marks entry method used during this year's evaluation. "Students will be allowed to submit their applications to the IIIT programme with the revised mark memos. The department is taking this matter seriously, and disciplinary action is being initiated against the assistant examiners and special assistants found responsible for these errors," he said. Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed his dissatisfaction over the error, which caused undue distress among several students. He instructed the relevant departmental officials to ensure that affected students do not face any obstacles in getting admission to intermediate courses. "Strict action must be taken against the officials and staff responsible, and a detailed report should be submitted immediately. The need of the hour is systemic reform to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future," Naidu said. Former education minister and opposition leader in the Legislative Council, Botsa Satyanarayana, said that several students who had been declared to have failed the SSC exams, ended up receiving up to 90 marks after applying for reverification. "Have we ever seen such a situation before? As many as 66,000 applications came for re-evaluation/reverification of answer sheets. This clearly indicates that the evaluation was carried out with utter negligence," he added.
