MBBS students to double as mentors of Adivasi children

In a novel initiative, medical students in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol division have started mentoring tribal children to improve their standard of education.

With their parents being illiterate or having only basic education, children from the tribal communities in most parts of Madhya Pradesh are deprived of proper guidance at home, which is why they often flock to other states to prepare for competitive exams.

Divisional Commissioner Rajiv Sharma has launched an initiative to ensure that these children stay in their hometown and get better guidance.

The 12th grade students, who aspire to become doctors, will be prepared for the NEET exam by medical students studying MBBS at Shahdol Medical College.

Sharma said: "I have prepared a plan for the better results of these children studying in class 12. I have also discussed my proposal with the dean and professors at the medical college, after which I interacted with the school education department. The medical students are ready to guide the school children."

According to Sharma there is abundance of talent in Madhya Pradesh, but due to lack of guidance, these tribal kids are unable to achieve their goals.

"Keeping this in mind, I have planned to guide the school students for the NEET exam. Efforts will also be made to provide timely guidance to the children studying in class 8 and 10, in the future," he said.

Sharing details of the scheme, Sharma said that on March 23, a dialogue between the class 12 science students and the MBBS students will be held at the Shahdol Medical School auditorium, after which the medical students will spread across various schools for tutoring them. This will help the capable kids to acquire the skills required to ace NEET.

"It is being considered a new beginning at the administrative level. We are also planning to guide students of 8th and 10th standard for competitive examinations, so that these children feel confident in achieving their goals and begin working towards them from a very young age," Sharma said.