NEET: Cowherd's son cracks the exam, appeals for financial help to pursue MBBS

Son of a cowherd and a Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) worker from Theni district of Tamil Nadu topped the list of achievers in National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) 2020 on October 17 after he scored 664 marks out of a total 720 in his second attempt. Serving as an inspiration to the aspiring students from meagre backgrounds, Jeevithkumar, the student of Government Model Higher Secondary School at Silvarpatti, Periyakulam, wrote the exam since it's known to be one of the most difficult to crack. 

As the family has been struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic and due to financial constraints, the talented student said that it would be impossible for him to pursue medical education due to the skyrocketing college fees. Furthermore, he told ANI, “It wasn't my aim to become a doctor, but I tried it because the exam was very hard to crack. Now I would like to pursue the MBBS course, but my family wouldn't be able to pay the fees for even government colleges, let alone a private one.” Jeevithkumar appealed to the people to assist him in some way to make his distant dream of being a doctor come true.

"I want to request people to help me pursue my studies," ANI quoted him as saying. 

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Further, the boy expressed appreciation for his lecturers for guidance and helping him enroll at a coaching institute to crack the NEET examination. Jeevithkumar had previously appeared in the NEET exam but hadn’t been able to crack it due to a lack of coaching and preparation because of money.

"Last year I wrote the exam only to realize how tough it was. I planned to write it again and my teachers helped me in joining a NEET coaching,” Jeevithkumar  said.

Mother MGNREGA worker

In his second attempt, the dedicated boy managed to score 664 and topped among all government schools in Tamil Nadu and across India. An MGNREGA worker by profession, Jeevithkumar was overwhelmed by her son’s achievement, but mostly thanked his teachers for coming together and helping her son. “Jeevith's school and teachers played a major role in ensuring that he was able to enroll in a year-long coaching class,” she informed. “Jeevith was the first in our family to score high marks in Class 10 and 12. We are happy with how well he has done and it feels like he has already become a doctor,” the delighted mother added. 

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(with inputs from ANI)