Chandigarh, May 15
It is a lifetime opportunity for the underprivileged from Punjab, who will go to the Ramanujan School of Mathematics (RSM), Patna, this year for coaching in preparing for the IIT entrance examination this year. The Super 30 will be part of the institute which has its name registered in the academic circles and the media, internationally, for its record in admission to the famed IITs.

The institute, which is helping poor but brilliant students from Bihar villages to enter IITs, has joined hands with the US-based Bhai Jaitajee Foundation (BJF) to provide an opportunity to poor children in Punjab to become a part of their programme.

For the first time, the Super 30 has moved out of Bihar and is organising an entrance test for Punjab students on June 5, the last date of applying for which is May 25.

“We are committed to providing an equal opportunity to Punjab students on the merit basis. The BJF has made all arrangements of test at Patiala on June 5. They are exhaustively advertising about this test to spread awareness in even the remotest areas of the state,” Anand Kumar, founder of the RSM, told reporters at a press conference in the Press Club here today.

“This year, besides Bihar, we are conducting tests in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Jharkhand. We have also decided to increase the seats to 60 for the Super 30 programme.” (non-medical) or those who have already passed Class 12 (in 2009 and 2010), with parent’s income not more than Rs 2,00,000 per annum can sit for this test.

It was in 1994 when Anand got admission to Trinity College, Cambridge, but could not join because of lack of funds and his father's sudden death which then forced him to sell papads to earn a living. Only then he decided to help the bright but less-privileged students.

In the last seven years (from 2003 to 2009), 182 out of 210 “Super 30” candidates have got selected into the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). In 2008 and 2009, all 30 students cracked the IIT entrance exam. Harpal Singh, chairman of the BJF, said: “We are focused on assisting the brightest students from Punjab’s rural area to get access to higher education through such initiatives. We will meet the costs the RSM will incur in training IIT aspirants from Punjab."

The entrance test for the “Super 30” and the regular programme will be held on June 5, 2010, at Modern Senior Secondary School, Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Road, Patiala. Admission forms are available at ACS Computer Institute, 21-22, Sanchita Complex, Sector 31-A, Chandigarh, and the last date for applications is May, 25, 2010.