Ludhiana govt schools decry exclusive classes for meritorious students

An issue has erupted in the district as the state’s initiative to provide coaching for competitive examinations, including the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), and Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), exclusively to students from schools of eminence (SOE) and meritorious schools, has been met with dissatisfaction by other government schools.

Starting on June 6, a select group of 750 students from Class 12 in SOE and meritorious schools began attending special coaching classes at the Meritorious School of Ludhiana. These students were chosen based on an entrance examination conducted at the school level, with the programme set to run until June 28.

The decision has been criticised by heads of other government schools, who feel their students are receiving inadequate support. A principal from a Government Senior Secondary School, who wished to remain anonymous, highlighted the achievements of their students despite the lack of additional coaching. “More than 15 students from government schools, excluding SOE and meritorious ones, have cleared the NEET UG examination this year,” the principal noted. “If our students were provided with similar guidance, they could excel further, and more would qualify for competitive examinations.”

The sentiment was echoed by another principal of a senior secondary school, who pointed out the potential benefits for students in commerce and humanities streams. “Our school does not offer a science stream, but our students in commerce and humanities are eligible for the CLAT. If science stream students are receiving coaching, why not extend this opportunity to those preparing for law as well?” the principal argued.

The disparity has drawn attention to the broader needs of students across various government schools. Despite some students from non-SOE schools such as GSSS Gujjarwal, Hasanpur, and GSSS for Girls, Jawahar Nagar, also qualifying for the NEET examination, their access to similar coaching remains limited.

Deputy district education officer Jaswinder Singh Virk, defended the current arrangement, citing different criteria for SOE and meritorious students. He assured that the benefits would eventually extend to all government school students. “Experts have been arranged for these special classes this year. The department aims to include all schools in due course, but this requires time,” Virk stated.