iScholar, a start-up that provides online courses, has partnered with Anand Kumar of Super30 fame, in an effort to bring down costs of IIT-JEE entrance exam coaching by 90 per cent.

Kumar is the brains behind Bihar-based Super30, which yearly selects 30 meritorious students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds aspiring to get into IITs.

“We know that students coached by Kumar have a 100 per cent success rate when it comes to IIT entrance. We want to replicate this for more students who are unable to afford coaching,” said Rajendra Prasad Nadella, Chief Managing Director, iScholar.

A typical IIT-JEE preparation course runs for a whole year and costs ₹60,000 onwards. The annual fees for the iScholar courses works out to ₹6,000, which includes features such as access to content, computer-based training coaching in real-time and interaction with faculty.

For students who do not have access to internet, the start-up will provide downloadable courses. “The courseware will help more aspiring students to get into IIT,” said Kumar. iScholar students will get access to professors such as Aniruddh Sinha, Ravi Ahlawat, Kashish Mathur and Akhil Narayan.

Encrypted courseware Further, to avoid instances of course material being illegally shared, the start-up has encrypted the courseware, which can be accessed only through its learning management software. In Bihar, reports of cheating and bribes to clear exams are common. With this initiative, iScholar is confident of enrolling 60,000 students in the 2017 financial year.

Nadella is confident that despite dropping prices, there is a good scope of business. “It is commercially viable and we are subsidising this venture by burning venture capital money,” he adds.

comment COMMENT NOW