Super 30's Superman

“To be a teacher you have to have a very giving, selfless personality” is a quote attributed to Chris Parnell, American Actor. While most of the teachers read and forget about such quotes, Anand Kumar made this quote the motto of his life. His interest in Mathematics and the vision of preparing economically backward students for IIT-JEE gradually led to the birth of the Super 30 program which aimed at providing free coaching to the children from poor backgrounds for IIT-JEE. This initiative was appreciated not only by the Indians but also by people belonging to several other countries of the world. Anand Kumar who envisaged to train children from economically weaker sections (EWS) for IIT-JEE over a decade ago has by now helped around 500 students qualify for admission to IIT, according to a recent report by The Economic Times.

Tracing the beginnings

It was in the year 1992 that Kumar began his own institute, Ramanujan School of Mathematics in a classroom rented for Rs. 500 per month. Within three years of starting the institute, he was teaching over 500 students. While initially, Kumar had no plans of starting something like the Super 30, the realization that talented students from impoverished families lacked resources to enroll in coaching for IIT entrance exams encouraged him to embark on the journey of helping these kids.

Thus, in 2002 Ramanujan School of Mathematics conducted a competitive exam for the first time in the month of May to select students for the Super 30 program and the ritual has been continuing every year, since then. Out of the many students appearing for the exam, he selects the top thirty intelligent students from economically backward classes, tutors them free of cost and provides them lodging for a year. While Kumar is busy preparing the students for the IIT-JEE exam, his mother cooks for the students and his brother takes care of management.

According to one of the recent reports in The Hindu, in the last four years, all the 30 students from Super 30 qualified for IIT.

We need more people like him

Many people across the country are acting as a beacon of hope for the children belonging to the economically weaker sections of our society. One such initiative similar to the Super 30 program was started by a man in Delhi who is conducting classes under the Yamuna Bridge and providing free education to children belonging to EWS families. 

The Government of India is rolling out several schemes to ensure that every child gets equal access to education. But the support and initiatives of citizens are equally required to help the children from EWS backgrounds get access to quality education. So there is certainly a need for more such selfless initiatives to help every child lead a better life. 

Gopika Bhat

BW Reporters The author is a student of Multimedia and Mass Communication (MMMC) at IP College for Women, University of Delhi.