CHENNAI: A mentorship programme launched by the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE) to promote basic sciences has helped students from government arts and science colleges secure admission to premier higher education institutions.
The Basic Science Promotion Programme, introduced under a GO in June 2025 from the Higher Education Department, provides intensive academic training and continuous free mentorship to undergraduate and postgraduate students in mathematics, physics and chemistry.
In the first batch, 180 students were selected for structured training and regular academic guidance to prepare for national-level entrance examinations. Of them, 17 students qualified in GATE and IIT-JAM exams, while seven students secured admission to premier institutions. They gained admission to institutions including IIT Madras, IIT Tirupati, NIT Puducherry and NIT Calicut.
Following the success of the first batch, TANSCHE has continued to provide mentorship to the selected students throughout their programmes. The council has also proposed that the government meet the academic expenses of students who secured admission to premier institutions through the programme.
The second batch is proposed to be conducted during the current academic year. A total of 180 students will be selected through a screening test. The intake will include 30 third-year UG students each from mathematics, physics and chemistry, and 30 second-year PG students from each of the three subjects.
Selected students will undergo a 10-day offline training programme, followed by online mentoring and continuous academic guidance to prepare for exams like GATE, CSIR-NET, JEST, CUET, TIFR GS and IIT-JAM.
The last date for registration is August 20.