papers on Mathematics to various national and international journals, magazines and newspapers. In 1994, Anand got an opportunity to pursue higher education in Cambridge University, but his poor financial health came in the way. Having witnessed extreme financial hardship since childhood, he felt the pangs of poverty so much that he decided to do something for the poor students, who invariably fade away without getting right opportunities. This led to the birth of new form of ‘Ramanujam School of Mathematics’. Here he trained a small group of students for various competitive examinations at a very nominal fee. For those who were extremely poor and were in no position to pay even the small amount, money was never a constraint. They just did not have to pay anything. After some time, Anand decided to shape his programme seriously to cater to the poor, but meritorious students more significantly. He called his brother Pranav Kumar, a talented violinist, from Mumbai and planned to start the innovative Super 30 programme.
Super 30 is a highly ambitious and innovative educational program running under the banner of "Ramanujan School of Mathematics". It hunts for 30 meritorious talents from among the economically backward sections of the society and shapes them for India's most prestigious institution – the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). In the last seven years, it has produced hundreds IITians from extremely poor background. During this program students are provided absolutely free coaching, lodging and food. Super 30 targets students from extremely poor families. They have all seen the change with sheer disbelief in their eyes that their children are now going to be top technocrats.
The main objective of Super 30 is to track the talented bunch of students from economically impoverished sections and hone their skills by providing a conducive environment. Talent knows no boundaries. It is everywhere. All one needs is to spot talent and nurture it to let it blossom. Super 30 has done just that in the last six years and the results have been encouraging. The talented students have been given quality teaching and an open atmosphere to perform to the best of their potential. The students should not be handicapped by financial constraints of their families. If they have it in them, Super 30 is there to guide them where they belong, but may not reach for want of resources. Super 30’s mission is to help more and more students from economically poor sections reach the IITs. Having shaped students for six years now, Anand has now realized the importance of ‘catching them young’. He wants to start the talent hunt a bit earlier than Plus Two stage. If talented students are spotted at the school-level, it can work wonders. With this in mind, he wants to set up schools for poor children. The schools would provide the right impetus to the students at the right time through innovative teaching to develop their interest in Mathematics and Science subjects at an early age. It would shape them for different Olympiads and prepare them for other competitions. The thrust would be on developing inquisitiveness, so very important for science and math education.
"A formula for success," by Prince Frederick. The Hindu, 4 March 2011.
Anand Kumar and students
Mathematician Anand Kumar transformed the heartbreak of his own unfulfilled academic dreams into inspiration for lifting up smart but disadvantaged young students like he once had been. Kumar’s school, “Super 30,” provides not only education but also food and shelter for students in Patna, India with the goal of helping them pass the entrance exam for the Indian Institute of Technology. His program is funded by tuition that more privileged students pay to attend a separate mathematics institute he founded in 1992, and he has received recognition from President Obama’s office and major Western media. With a small staff of only four teachers, Kumar over the past eight years has coached 212 of his 240 students to pass the exam. He says that he has been physically threatened by people who run similar training institutes in Patna, but he forges ahead with his small endeavor and hopes to admit more students in need to his program in the future. (Photo: Anand Kumar teaching his students, courtesy of Super 30.)
papers on Mathematics to various national and international journals,
ReplyDeletemagazines and newspapers.
In 1994, Anand got an opportunity to pursue higher education in
Cambridge University, but his poor financial health came in the way.
Having witnessed extreme financial hardship since childhood, he felt the
pangs of poverty so much that he decided to do something for the poor
students, who invariably fade away without getting right opportunities.
This led to the birth of new form of ‘Ramanujam School of Mathematics’.
Here he trained a small group of students for various competitive
examinations at a very nominal fee. For those who were extremely poor
and were in no position to pay even the small amount, money was never
a constraint. They just did not have to pay anything.
After some time, Anand decided to shape his programme seriously to
cater to the poor, but meritorious students more significantly. He called
his brother Pranav Kumar, a talented violinist, from Mumbai and planned
to start the innovative Super 30 programme.
Super 30 is a highly ambitious and innovative educational
ReplyDeleteprogram running under the banner of "Ramanujan School of
Mathematics". It hunts for 30 meritorious talents from
among the economically backward sections of the society
and shapes them for India's most prestigious institution –
the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). In the last seven
years, it has produced hundreds IITians from extremely
poor background. During this program students are
provided absolutely free coaching, lodging and food.
Super 30 targets students from extremely poor families.
They have all seen the change with sheer disbelief in
their eyes that their children are now going to be top
technocrats.
The main objective of Super 30 is to track the talented bunch of students from economically impoverished sections and hone their skills by providing a conducive environment. Talent knows no boundaries. It is everywhere. All one needs is to spot talent and nurture it to let it blossom. Super 30 has done just that in the last six years and the results have been encouraging. The talented students have been given quality teaching and an open atmosphere to perform to the best of their potential. The students should not be handicapped by financial constraints of their families. If they have it in them, Super 30 is there to guide them where they belong, but may not reach for want of resources. Super 30’s mission is to help more and more students from economically poor sections reach the IITs. Having shaped students for six years now, Anand has now realized the importance of ‘catching them young’. He wants to start the talent hunt a bit earlier than Plus Two stage. If talented students are spotted at the school-level, it can work wonders. With this in mind, he wants to set up schools for poor children. The schools would provide the right impetus to the students at the right time through innovative teaching to develop their interest in Mathematics and Science subjects at an early age. It would shape them for different Olympiads and prepare them for other competitions. The thrust would be on developing inquisitiveness, so very important for science and math education.
ReplyDelete"A formula for success," by Prince Frederick. The Hindu, 4 March 2011.
ReplyDeleteAnand Kumar and students
Mathematician Anand Kumar transformed the heartbreak of his own unfulfilled academic dreams into inspiration for lifting up smart but disadvantaged young students like he once had been. Kumar’s school, “Super 30,” provides not only education but also food and shelter for students in Patna, India with the goal of helping them pass the entrance exam for the Indian Institute of Technology. His program is funded by tuition that more privileged students pay to attend a separate mathematics institute he founded in 1992, and he has received recognition from President Obama’s office and major Western media. With a small staff of only four teachers, Kumar over the past eight years has coached 212 of his 240 students to pass the exam. He says that he has been physically threatened by people who run similar training institutes in Patna, but he forges ahead with his small endeavor and hopes to admit more students in need to his program in the future. (Photo: Anand Kumar teaching his students, courtesy of Super 30.)