Super 30

Coordinates	18°47′43″N98°59′55″N
Name	Super 30
Caption	Successful Super 30 students
Established	2002
Type	private
Country	India
Website	www.super30.org

Super 30 () is an Indian educational program that started in Patna, Bihar, India under the banner of 'Ramanujan School of Mathematics', by Anand Kumar. Established in 2002, the program selects 30 meritorious and talented candidates each year from economically backward sections of society and trains them for the IIT-JEE, the entrance examination for Indian Institute of Technology.. Time Magazine has selected mathematician Anand Kumar's school - Super 30 - in the list of Best of Asia 2010., Super 30 received praise from United States President Barack Obama's special envoy Rashad Hussain, who termed it the “best” institute in the country.. Newsweek Magazine has taken note of the initiative of mathematician Anand Kumar’s Super 30 and included his school in the list of four most innovative schools in the world.Anand Kumar has been awarded by top award of Bihar government Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Shiksha Puraskar in November 2010.

History

Fascinated by mathematics since early childhood, Anand always dreamt of becoming a mathematician. He started showing sparks of brilliance since early days. His love for mathematics came to fore in 1992, when he formed a Mathematics Club, ‘Ramanujam School of Mathematics’, while he was still in graduation. His mathematical bent of mind was spotted by renowned teachers, who provided him encouragement. Under the guidance of his mentor and guru, Devi Prasad Verma, then the Head, Department of Mathematics, Patna Science College, Anand started a training programme for mathematics lovers. It was a free programme, which anybody with interest in Mathematics could join. As months rolled by, Anand contributed several problems and papers on Mathematics to various 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 without charging fee. After some time, for those who were extremely poor and were in no position to pay even their fee for lodge and food in Patna, Anand decided to shape his programme seriously to cater to the poor, but meritorious students more significantly. He called his brother Pranav Kumar from Mumbai and planned to start the innovative Super 30 programme. Pranav Kumar helped Anand earlier also, but now he was directly involved. He was entrusted with the responsibility of managing Super 30. After a thorough screening, 30 poor, but talented students were shortlisted for the Super 30. Initially, making all arrangements for 30 students was not so easy, but Anand’s family extended all help in his endeavour. Anand generated finances by tutoring students of other schools, while his mother, Jayanti Devi, cooked food for the students. For the students, there was only one goal – to study hard.. What followed next was rigorous training of the students, and the results came as a big surprise in the very first year. It motivated Anand to put in more and more effort along with his team of dedicated teachers. In the last eight years, 212 students out of 240 have been accepted into various IITs in the country. When Super 30 started its journey in 2003, 18 out of 30 students completed. The very next year, the number jumped to 22. In 2005, it improved further to 26. Continuing the trend, 28 students made it in 2006 and 2007. However, the ‘magic moment’ came in 2008, when the result was an astonishing 30 out of 30. Super 30 had hit the bull’s eye. It was ‘a dream come true’ for Anand and his team. Super 30 has done it again in 2009 and 2010. It has been 30 out of 30 for the third year in succession.. Super 30 founder tells PM how to shape careers of poor students.

In media

A 60-minute film digibeta on Super 30, directed by Christopher Mitchell, was screened at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA), it was an instant hit in the US. The Discovery Channel also showed this film on Super 30 in March 2009.

A video series on Super 30 was broadcast in the popular Canadian TV series Witness.

Time Magazine has selected mathematician Anand Kumar's school - Super 30 - in the list of Best of Asia 2010. (May 14, 2010)

Super 30's Anand Kumar has been selected for the Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Shiksha Puraskar in November 2010.http://www.hindu.com/2010/11/10/stories/2010111054080100.htm

References

External links

Super 30, Official website

Aljeera's Super30 Interview

NDTV Super30 Interview

Category:Education in Patna Category:Education in India Category:Educational programs Category:2002 establishments Category:Preparatory schools