Maharashtra takes a cue from Bihar’s Super 30, plans ‘Super 100’ for underprivileged kids
With the Super 100 initiative, the government aims to bridge the gap between government school education and expensive private coaching by providing free coaching to 100 high-performing students from rural areas.
The Maharashtra government is planning to set up a residential coaching centre in every district to provide free, two-year coaching to prepare students for the JEE and NEET entrance examinations. Titled Super 100’, the examination coaching will not be available to everyone.
The ‘Super 100’ aims to select 100 high-performing students from rural government schools and coach them for medical and engineering entrance examinations.
With the Super 100 initiative, the government aims to bridge the gap between government school education and expensive private coaching by providing residential coaching, accommodation and academic support to the underprivileged students.
The proposal was reviewed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and School Education Minister Dada Bhuse at a meeting on Tuesday. The School Education Department has submitted the scheme to the Finance Department for approval.
Super 100 initiative: How does it work?
Under the proposed Super 100 initiative, one government school in each district would be designated as a residential coaching centre. Each centre is expected to cost around Rs 1.15 crore and will be funded through the District Planning and Development Council (DPDC) funds.
The government is examining whether the coaching component should be run in collaboration with established private coaching institutes or entirely through government resources, officials said.
“The idea is to ensure that talented students from rural government schools are not denied opportunities simply because they cannot afford private coaching. A transparent selection process will be developed to identify deserving students. The selected candidates will receive free coaching, residential facilities and other academic support,” a senior School Education Department official said.
Story continues below this ad
The proposed programme is modelled on the renowned ‘Super 30’ initiative started by mathematician Anand Kumar in Patna, Bihar, in 2002.
The programme, which offers free coaching, accommodation, and study material to economically disadvantaged students preparing for IIT-JEE, has earned national recognition for helping students from underprivileged backgrounds secure admission to premier engineering institutes. It also inspired a biographical drama film starring Hrithik Roshan.
While Maharashtra has witnessed similar initiatives by private organisations, government-run coaching programmes have so far remained limited in scale. In 2023, the Tribal Development Department organised a 45-day residential JEE coaching camp in Gondia, where more than 20 tribal students qualified for JEE Advanced.
Pallavi Smart is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai Bureau. Her reporting is singularly focused on the education sector, demonstrating exceptional Expertise and Authority across the entire spectrum of learning, from foundational schooling to advanced higher education. She is a highly Trustworthy source for policy, institutional developments, and systemic issues affecting students, teachers, and parents in Maharashtra.
Expertise
Senior Role: As a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express, her designation reflects her seniority, specialized knowledge, and the editorial rigor applied to her reporting.
Core Authority & Specialization: Pallavi Smart is the definitive voice for Education news in the region. Her coverage scope is comprehensive:
Policy and Regulatory Changes: Reports on major shifts in educational policy, including the restructuring of entrance exams (e.g., MHT-CET adopting the JEE Main model), the draft regulatory framework for coaching classes, and revised teacher recruitment processes.
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): Provides in-depth reporting on prestigious institutes like IIT Bombay and TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences), covering institutional initiatives, administrative debates (e.g., renaming IIT Bombay), and student welfare programs (e.g., mandatory mental health courses).
Teachers and Eligibility: Covers crucial issues affecting the teaching fraternity, such as the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for in-service teachers and related controversies and application numbers.
Student Welfare & Rights: Focuses on issues concerning students, including the rollout of government scholarships, the financial strain on schools due to midday meal reimbursement delays, and instances of child rights violations (e.g., the Powai studio hostage crisis).
Admissions and Vacancy: Tracks the outcome of centralized admission processes (e.g., MBBS, BPharm) and analyzes vacancy concerns, providing essential data-driven insights for parents and students.
Credentials & Trustworthiness
Dedicated Beat: Her consistent focus on the "KG to PG" education beat allows her to develop unparalleled subject matter knowledge, ensuring her reports are accurate, detailed, and contextualized.
Proactive Reporting: Her articles frequently break news on policy and institutional planning, providing the public with timely, essential information about a sector that directly impacts millions of families.
She tweets @Pallavi_Smart ... Read More
