Seven students from the Madurai regional National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) training centre functioning under the Government Model School at Austinpatti in Madurai district have cleared the NEET and become eligible for admission to medical courses under the horizontal reservation of 7.5% for government-school students in Tamil Nadu.The Model School is one of 38 institutions in Tamil Nadu set up to provide government-school students with residential education and focused preparation for competitive examinations, said V. Andal, Chemistry teacher and coordinator of the Madurai regional NEET training centre.Ms. Andal said the Model Schools were introduced during the previous DMK government with the objective of providing quality education and competitive-examination training to government-school students, particularly those from rural areas.Around 35 government-school students from nine districts had undergone training at the Madurai regional NEET centre, she said. The centre began functioning in June last year and had produced encouraging results within a year.“Had the NEET re-examination not been held, we might have seen even better results, with more students clearing the examination,” she said.B. Rithika of Thanjavur was among the seven students who cleared NEET. She scored 480 marks and secured admission to SRM Tiruchi Medical College.Ms. Andal said Rithika’s family had faced financial difficulties in the aftermath of Cyclone Gaja and that her sustained efforts had helped her overcome the challenges and pursue her ambition of studying medicine.S. Sakthimari of Dindigul secured a seat at Madurai Government Medical College, while R. Jayasri of Pudukottai was allotted a seat at K.A.P. Viswanatham Government Medical College, and K. Subhiksha of Madurai secured a seat at Virudhunagar Government Medical College. The three students had to overcome financial difficulties as well as physical challenges while preparing for NEET. Despite the hardships, they cleared the examination and secured admission to medical colleges.Among the other successful candidates, I. Meenakshi of Thanjavur scored 474 marks and secured admission to Ariyalur Government Medical College. T.S. Hemalatha of Madurai scored 466 marks and secured a seat at Tagore Medical College, Chennai.S. Vanisha of Madurai, who scored 522 marks, secured admission to Madurai Medical College.Ms. Andal said the students followed a rigorous daily schedule, with mock tests conducted early in the morning based on the portions covered the previous day. After breakfast, they attended back-to-back classes, with the teachers largely following the NCERT syllabus for NEET preparation. The students were allowed to use mobile phones once a week to speak to their parents, she said.“Many students would stay up late at night to revise and sleep for only two to three hours. That was the level of commitment they showed towards their preparation,” she said.Ms. Andal said the rigorous preparation was backed by the continuous guidance of the teaching team, Coordinator S. Jeyaraj, Headmaster D. Pandian and teachers P. Kaleeswari, K.S. Prem Kumar, M. Dinakar and K. Ramar, with supporting the students throughout their preparation.Ms. Andal said the centre, which was established only a year ago, still required improvements in infrastructure. Better drinking water facilities and a better learning environment would help motivate the students and enable them to aim for higher scores and ranks, she said. Published - August 14, 2026 07:29 pm IST