Updated: October 19, 2020 10:13:01 pm
Sabarimala Jayakandhan, a former government school teacher who quit her job after the police called off her hunger strike over the death of aspiring doctor S Anitha, is the architect behind Jeevith Kumar’s success story.
N Jeevithkumar, the son of a pastor in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu, scored 664 out of 720 on this year’s National Income and Eligibility Test (NEET). With his all-India rank of 1,823, he has secured the highest rank among government school candidates across the country.
Jeevithkumar’s father makes a living raising goats, while his mother is a worker for MGNREGA. He was a student at the government model upper secondary school in the town of Silvarpatti near Periyakulam in Theni district. He had 548 in Class XII and was the best in the district. This was his second attempt at taking the exam. Previously, Jeevith had attended a 45-day government-run NEET training camp and had written the exam, but had failed the test.
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Sabarimala Jayakandhan, a former government school teacher who quit her job after police stopped her hunger strike over the death of aspiring doctor S Anitha is the architect behind Jeevithkumar’s success story. He had met with various schools and college students over the past three years and had tried to help them succeed in their exams. She is also the founder of Pen Viduthalai Katchi, a party that aims to work for the elevation of women.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, Sabarimala Jayakandhan explained how Jeevithkumar succeeded in the entrance test, which had been the subject of debate in the state for the past few years.
Jeevith Kumar scored 664 points out of 720
“After submitting my resignation, I visited various schools and universities in Tamil Nadu and talked about the education system, how they can achieve their dream, etc. In these circumstances, Arul Murugan, a part-time teacher at Silvarpatti Public School approached me and said that they have a child at their school who is sure to break from NEET if the curriculum is provided to him. I came to know that he had obtained very good marks in the public exams and wanted to study medicine. I immediately went there and spoke with Jeevithkumar and her parents to understand their situation and how I can help them. I asked Jeevith how much he thinks he can score on NEET and he replied that he would score over 650. He said that if he becomes a doctor he will help other public school students achieve their dream and also promised that he will serve the people. in Kuzhumur (the hometown of aspiring doctor Anitha), ”said Jayakandhan.
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Jeevith’s teacher, Arul Murugan, and the Silvarpatti school principal, Mohan, also contributed greatly to its success. Due to the blockage when the training center was closed, Murugan had stepped in and took Jeevith under his arms. Murugan, who himself earns around 7,000 a month, rented a room in the village and took care of Jeevith’s requirements. On a couple of occasions when Jeevith got sick, Murugan took him to the hospital.
Although Jeevith had passed the NEET, his dream of pursuing medicine is hanging by a thread, as the fees for medical schools are beyond his family’s financial capacity.
“Jeevith’s goal is to enter AIIMS. His principal and a couple of other teachers helped him pay the school fee. We raise funds for his NEET training, but for the next stage of his education, we need the support of the government, ”said Jayakandhan.
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On Friday, Jayakandhan posted a video on Facebook in which he told how he made a promise to Anitha, which would make a candidate from a government school pass the NEET exam. “Last year, in front of this very school, I told Jeevithkumar that I was ready to support him and asked him what promise he would make, he said he would score above 650 on the NEET exam. We enrolled him in a private training center in Namakkal. A friend of ours from the United States helped us with 75,000 for his education. Likewise, his teacher Arul Murugan, the director of the Silvaarpatti Mohan school and many others intervened to help this boy. He said if we provide him with the syllabus, he will get good grades. It delivered on what it promised, it scored 664 marks on NEET and is an example that rural students, public school students can definitely pass this exam. So far, 18 students have ended their lives after failing the NEET exam, but Jeevithkumar’s success will put an end to this. If Jeevithkumar can be successful, any of my public school kids can, ”he had said in the video.
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