Lucknow: A non-profit coaching initiative in Lucknow is challenging the belief that success in competitive examinations depends on wealth, elite schooling, or social background. Speaking in a recent interview to Ashraf Bastawi of Asia Times, educationist Syed Tanveer Ahmed said Brainy and Bright Academy was established to identify talented students from economically weaker families and prepare them for examinations such as NEET and JEE through a holistic educational model.
According to Syed Tanveer, the academy emerged nearly three years ago after a group of educationists, industrialists, and community leaders reviewed the educational challenges facing underprivileged students. They concluded that many capable students discontinue their education because of financial hardship and the growing commercialisation of the coaching industry.
Syed Tanveer said the academy adopted the slogan “Coaching with Culture” to combine academic excellence with moral development, counselling, and a safe learning environment. He said many Muslim students suffer from a lack of confidence and wrongly believe they are incapable of clearing highly competitive examinations.
He stressed that cracking NEET or JEE does not depend on being born into a wealthy family, studying in a CBSE school, or belonging to any particular social background. He said the institution works to remove this psychological barrier before beginning academic preparation.
Explaining the academy’s approach, Syed Tanveer said students first undergo assessment to identify learning gaps. Faculty members strengthen basic concepts before teaching the complete NCERT syllabus. Alongside classroom instruction, students receive professional counselling, emotional support, guidance on study planning, healthy food, exercise, and overall well-being.
Syed Tanveer described moral development as the third pillar of the academy’s model. Hostel wardens serve as mentors who guide students in discipline, personal conduct, and daily routine instead of limiting their role to administration.
He said the academy’s success rate stands at around 20 percent, comparable to leading coaching institutes. What makes the achievement meaningful, he added, is that many successful candidates had earlier believed they had little chance of securing a seat in professional courses.
The scholarship programme follows a child-centred model. Rather than applying fixed criteria, every application is examined individually. The academy evaluates academic potential, financial condition, commitment, and willingness to follow the study schedule before deciding the level of scholarship.
Reflecting on the academy’s experience, Syed Tanveer said the greatest lesson has been that talent exists in villages, slums, and among Hindi medium students as much as anywhere else. He cited examples of students from modest backgrounds securing high ranks, calling it proof that ability is not confined to privileged sections of society.
Looking ahead, Syed Tanveer said the academy aims to prepare around 1,000 students within the next five years for competitive examinations including NEET, JEE, NDA, UPSC, and CLAT. He added that the institution has built a system-driven model where the organisation, rather than any individual, remains at the centre of decision making, ensuring continuity and long-term stability.
