India is a country with diverse social strata and economic background .In the era of Knowledge, Technology and fast living, programs that can deliver inclusive growth are necessary for national growth. Large number of potential achievers should be brought to the main stream, this can happen if we can give access to affordable higher education to people from the economically challenged background.
“TAPAS” is a nation-building initiative in the field of education. It focuses on enabling learning to the brightest among the needy sections of the society, with the broader goal of empowering them as growth drivers. It was initiated in 2012 by Rashtrotthana Parishat in association with BASE a leading student training institute in Karnataka, which prepares students for competitive examinations like IIT-JEE, CET, NTSE, and various Medical entrance examinations conducted by top Medical Institutes. TAPAS aims at identifying 35-40 meritorious students from rural Karnataka among the economically and socially backward sections of the Society and shapes them for India’s prestigious institutions- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Batch of Tapas students is selected through multi-level rigorous selections process by inviting students from more than 30,000 schools of Karnataka.
• Selection Test is conducted at all district headquarters and major towns in Karnataka.
• Based on the performance in the above test, around 120-140 students are shorlisted
• Tapas representatives visit the homes and schools of shortlisted students to ascertain interest and motivation to pursue the program. Based on this, II Level short listing is done.
• Students shorted at II Level attend a 3-day residential program. Here, students are assessed on their ability to understand subject complexity, their ability to work hard, commitment and ability to stay away from home
• Based on the performance in the residential program and subsequent interaction final selection of 40 students is done
The journey of Selected students, starts with staying in a comfortable hostel, learning the to live together with other batch mates, trying to adapt to the single minded rigor of preparing for IIT – JEE, getting up at 4:45am, Yoga, Study hours, attending college, preparatory classes for IIT-JEE, crash course on learning English and communication, enjoying the sports hour at well equipped college grounds and caring discourses of hostel guardians. Rashtrotthana Parishat provides safe and comfortable hostel accommodation and wholesome vegetarian food completely free of cost to Tapas students. State of the Art Laboratories, spacious classrooms, internet facility for online classes and tests and sophisticated library with digital and traditional books enables students to focus on studies. For the academic year 2012 – 2014, first batch of Tapas, 34 students from various parts of Karnataka were chosen. Typically parents of Tapas students are: Daily wage workers, small businessmen (Barber, provision store owner), small farmers or farm workers, postmen, collie, etc. Tapas students take PU + IIT JEE Integrated course at Rashtrotthana PU College. Distinguished faculty from Base and Rashtrotthana PU College prepare children for PU board and IIT entrance examination. PU College education and Extensive Base coaching for IIT-JEE is provided free of cost to Tapas children.
• The program covers exhaustive content with quality synopses followed by adequate worked examples and practice exercises.
• Classroom sessions are interactive and are backed by multimedia presentations. Regular tests are conducted to prepare the students for the rigorous IIT Entrance. Answers to questions are discussed in the classroom and personal coaching is provided in the study hours.
• Additional Learning Support is provided for effective study techniques, time and stress management skills.
• BASE faculty provides mentoring and counseling support, to understand each student's specific academic and emotional support requirements and guide them accordingly. For the 2012-14 Tapas batch, out of 34 students, 30 students qualified for the IIT Mains test out of which 7 qualified for the IIT Advanced test and have got admissions in the presitigious IIT institutiona. The rest should get into prestigious NIT colleges across India. Tapas batch of 2013-15 is not much behind their seniors, in the first year of study, close to 40% are scoring above IIT-JEE qualifying marks. The number of students taking higher scores in Practice tests of Base will go up in second year, we expect close to 70-75% should get admission to IIT in 2015. Along with studies, students take part in discussions with eminent personalities like Magsaysay awardee Sri. Harish Hande, Visit to Philips Innovation Center, Dr. Saxena’s Observatory, Rashtrotthana Goshala, take part in sports and cultural events for all round development. Due to their humble background and lack of access to appropriate resources and guidance, for many students it would have been an unrealized dream to study in IIT without Tapas! At Rashtrotthana Parishat we feel proud to have made this difference in the lives of these children and their families to bring them into mainstream. We are sure these students in future will be part of chain reaction to support and bring more talent in the cause of nation building. Many corporates and Individuals have been generous enough to support the progamme with their benevolence. Together we shall contribute in upliftment of our society and building strong Bharat.
