Coaching centres pen IIT success in Jharkhand

• Thirty-five students of ours have passed the IIT entrance test,’’ claims IIT Coaching Centre’s (IITCC) Pratush Kumar S...

• Thirty-five students of ours have passed the IIT entrance test,’’ claims IIT Coaching Centre’s (IITCC) Pratush Kumar Singh.

• ‘‘Sixty-one students from our centre are on the IIT merit list,’’ says Jamshedpur-based Prerna Coaching Centre’s Jagdambika Pal.

• ‘‘Forty-three students of ours have made it to IIT merit list,’’ says Rituraj of the Physics Tutorial and Shekhar Mathematics.

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In a state where over 50 per cent of the 2.69 crore population is illiterate, there are as many as 650 coaching centres, as a random survey by The Indian Express revealed. These cater to the 5,000-odd class X students from Ranchi, Bokaro, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad.

Among these centres are Delhi-based Pen for Future, FIITJEE and Pie. Their branches, operating in Ranchi for the past three years, are run by local teachers on franchisee basis.

Coaching centres like FIITJEE and Pen For Future boast of a library, computers, projectors and CDs. ‘‘But the popularity of these centres largely depends on the merit of their teachers,’’ says IITCC’s Singh, a B Tech from IIT. Tapan Bhattacharya and K. Kar are the other famous chemistry and maths teachers. Teachers of their calibre make anything between Rs 30,000 and Rs one lakh per month.

‘‘While the fee varies from Rs 3,000 to Rs 60,000 per student, there is always a dearth of good tutors for IIT entrance exams,’’ says Doranda Coaching Centre owner Balendu Shekhar.

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On the coaching schools walking away with all credit, Ranchi DPS principal Mahesh Bareja says: ‘‘Parents and schools are equally responsible for a child’s results. The coaching only helps students become target-oriented.’’

Abhisheikh Srivastava, who secured 436 rank in the merit list, agrees: ‘‘Coaching can only help those students who help themselves. Of course, the coach can make a difference.’’