Private science tutors who coach students for the 10+2 Board exams in CBSE, ICSE and state streams are in great demand, thanks to the Centre’s new policy giving importance to 10+2 Board exam marks for admitting students to prestigious IITs, NITs, IIITs and other prominent Central-funded institutions.

For the first time, 40 per cent weightage will be given for marks obtained in 10+2 in the JEE (Main) for admission to NITs, IITs etc. Only the top 1,50,000 rankers in JEE (Main) will be allowed to appear for the JEE (Advanced) for admission to IITs. This apart, students have to figure in the top-20 percentile list in the 10+2 board exams. Candidates will have to score well in 10+2 board exams.

Many unemployed science graduates and post graduates are entering the tuition market and earning around `10,000 a month for providing home tuitions in two shifts. “My daughter will be appearing for Intermediate public exams in March.

Only four months remain for these exams. She has been concentrating on the old IIT-JEE format for the last two years as there was no clarity on the new JEE till recently. With marks in Board exams assuming utmost significance, I have engaged a home tutor to prepare her exclusively for Board exams in the next four months,” says Mr B.Jayaram who is paying `20,000 for home tutors alone.

For CBSE and ICSE students, tutors charge around `30,000 a month as the syllabus is tougher than that of state stream.