Thirteen students from a rural government school in Uttar Pradesh secure places in NEET-UG, lauded for their achievements.
Spotlight on Mirzapur: In the heart of Uttar Pradesh's undeveloped districts, a groundbreaking educational change is underway. The year 2025 sees a group of girls from the hardscrabble Madihan tehsil in the Mirzapur district passing the competitive NEET-UG exam, all without spending a single rupee on private tuition. This achievement has left the local community in awe, turning a humble school into a beacon of hope.
The transformation is thanks to the Jayaprakash Narayan Sarvodaya Balika Vidyalaya, a public school that houses underprivileged NEET and JEE aspirants from Dalit, OBC communities, and more, at no cost. The school, run by the Department of Social Welfare and partnered with the ExNavodaya Foundation in Varanasi, offers rigorous coaching for these competitive exams alongside the regular Class 11 and 12 curriculum.
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Established in June 2023, the programme selected gifted pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds through a rigorous selection process across 29 districts of Uttar Pradesh. At the Madihan centre, students enjoy free boarding, meals, top-notch academic guidance, and personal mentoring.
Already a trailblazer in its inaugural year, 12 out of 25 girls who attempted NEET qualified, while 5 out of 13 aced the JEE. Their success has garnered recognition across the region and opened up conversations about the power of public-private partnerships in education.
Meet the inspirational achievers: Lakshmi, Shweta Pal, Pooja Ranjan, Princy, Malti, Komal Kumari, Anuradha, Sabha Prajapati, Deepti Gupta, and Pooja Sonkar, names now celebrated across their villages and beyond.
These women, often from families with limited resources, express that the school's engaging atmosphere is a major factor in their success. "The teachers here are fantastic, always available to support their students. They've helped me every step of the way," Lakshmi gushed to our website.
The centre's emphasis on providing a friendly and supportive learning environment, with teachers available even after school hours, sets it apart from costly private coaching institutions that often demand a hefty fee.
"Congratulations to all 12 successful students. The centre is developed as a centre of excellence, preparing students for competitive exams like NEET and JEE through classroom learning and on-site residency," said Priyanka Niranjan, District Magistrate, Mirzapur.
She added, "This centre provides exceptional opportunities for students from less fortunate socioeconomic backgrounds to prepare for high-stakes exams like NEET and JEE".
This model of accessible, merit-based education has already shown remarkable outcomes, defying socioeconomic barriers for underprivileged students.
- The success of the Jayaprakash Narayan Sarvodaya Balika Vidyalaya in Mirzapur, a public school that focuses on education-and-self-development, has sparked conversations about policy-and-legislation, particularly the role of public-private partnerships in educational institutions.
- The students at this school, predominantly from disadvantaged backgrounds, are not only acquiring essential skills-training through rigorous coaching for competitive exams like NEET and JEE, but are also experiencing personal-growth and setting goal-setting as key aspects of their learning journey.
- The transformative online-education program at the Jayaprakash Narayan Sarvodaya Balika Vidyalaya, in collaboration with the ExNavodaya Foundation, is changing the landscape of education in the undeveloped districts of Uttar Pradesh, providing free education to underprivileged students and fostering career-development opportunities.
- The achievements of the students, such as Lakshmi and others, in the competitive NEET-UG exam while receiving education at no cost, have captured the attention of the general-news media, showcasing the potential of this innovative learning model.
- The success stories of the students empowers them to aspire for higher education and strive for their career-development goals, breaking socioeconomic barriers and setting a precedent for future opportunities in education and personal-growth.
