Coaching classes claiming false credit - complain JEE toppers

New Delhi: Apart from the celebration and joy that comes to toppers of
the Indian Institutes of Technology - Joint Entrance Examination
(IIT-JEE) also come unsolicited attention from coaching institutes
that falsely claim to be behind the success of the candidates.

Prudhvitej Immadi, who had achieved the all-India rank 1 in the
difficult to crack IIT-JEE has claimed that a coaching class that had
spammed its notes to him two years ago is now falsely taking credit
for his success in the entrance test.

"A coaching class had sent some notes to me free of cost when I was in
Class XI. I don't know why they sent me those booklets as I had never
contacted them and they had never spoken to me either. They have
registered me as their student just because they sent me those notes,"
he said.

The private academy that is falsely claiming Prudhvitej to be its
students is popular among medical aspirants and will now be cashing in
on the large number of enrolments that it will receive due to its
false claims.

After the IIT-JEE results were declared, several students who had
secured the top ranks had been shocked to find their names linked with
tutorials and coaching classes that they have never even attended.

Also, several toppers and high rankers have complained that ever since
the results were declared, they have been badgered by politicians,
touts and coaching academies, requesting and even ready to pay them
for appearing in advertisements, being a chief-guest or endorsing a
product.

A high ranking student who did not wish to be named said that he had
neither taken any additional help nor gone to any coaching classes but
had been prepared by his father. The student alleged that he got calls
from about eight coaching academies wanting him to fill their feedback
forms for which they were ready to offer as high as Rs.2 lakh.

"These academies were, and still are trying to buy my rank from me and
just because I am among the top 100 rankers," he said.

Another enraged JEE topper, Kandarp Khandwala, who scored an all-India
13th rank, said that his name and photograph were used by an all-India
tutorials that are popular for their test series. Khandwala said that
he had attended a Mumbai-based class for 2 years.

"I had purchased the rankers' study materials from this coaching
class. But they have advertised that I was a classroom student with
them. A lot of other students have complained that their
'non-classroom programme' toppers have been clubbed with their
'classroom programme' toppers," Khandwala stated.

Most coaching classes begin their admission process as soon as the JEE
results are announced.

Ponguru Narayana, proprietor of an Andhra Pradesh based coaching
academy said that there are several touts who try to get coaching
institutes toppers to appear in their advertisements if they pay
enough price. "There are several coaching classes that are willing to
buy top rankers," he said.