After Time, now Newsweek hails Bihar's Super 30

Bihar's Super 30 in Newsweek list of four most innovative schools in the world.

After Time magazine, internationally acclaimed American magazine Newsweek has selected Super 30, Bihar's free coaching centre which helps economically backward students crack the Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) in the list of four most innovative schools in the world, reports M I Khan from Patna.

Anand Kumar, Super 30 director-cum-founder, told Rediff.com here Saturday that Newsweek in its latest edition has selected Super 30 in the list of four most innovative schools in the world.

"It is a big recognition that has brought Bihar on the international map for positive reasons," Anand Kumar said.

According to Newsweek, the work of Anand Kumar for the underprivileged students is "incredible".

"With help of educational and moral support from Anand Kumar, underprivileged students study almost 16 hours every day and qualify the entrance test of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). This entrance test is known as toughest test in India," the Newsweek report says.

Almost all prestigious newspapers and magazines of the world as well India have covered the story of Super 30. Time magazine had selected Kumar's school -- Super 30 -- in the list of Best of Asia 2010 earlier this year.

The New York Times also did a feature on the school.

Discovery Channel broadcast a one-hour programme on Super 30.

Actress and ex-Miss Japan Norika Fujiwara visited Patna to make a documentary on Anand's initiatives.

Kumar had his name included in the Limca Book of World Records for his amazing teaching capabilities.

Recently, special envoy of the US President Brack Obama, Rashad Hussian, visited Super 30 and described it as "the best of India".

Fascinated by mathematics since early childhood Anand always dreamt of becoming a mathematician. He started showing sparks of brilliance since early days. 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 decided to do something for the poor students, who invariably fade away due to dearth of 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. In 2002, with the help of his brother Pranav Kumar and some of his students, he started a programme Super 30 to groom poor students for the entrance test of IIT free of cost.

In the last three years, all 30 students of Super 30 have made it to the JEE, drawing worldwide attention.