The Hindu : Thrust on quality education

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 24, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Thrust on quality education

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN. 23. The Finance Minister, K. Sankaranarayanan, has earmarked a sum of Rs. 179.11 crores in the budget for various schemes to be implemented in the educational sector during 2004-2005.

Presenting the budget in the Assembly today, the Minister laid emphasis on improving the quality of education in the State. The allocation for general education has been increased from Rs. 55.19 crores to Rs. 71.56 crores. A significant allocation in the coming year would be for the World Bank-assisted Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme for which the Minister has set apart Rs. 30 crores. For improving the quality of education in the high schools in the State, the sum allotted is Rs. 1.75 crores and for improving the quality in the higher secondary schools, there is an allocation of Rs.5 crores.

A scheme to provide infrastructure facilities for information technology (IT) education in the government schools is being introduced for which a sum of Rs. 13.20 crores has been allocated.

In the vocational higher secondary education sector, the government intends to introduce job-oriented courses. A sum of Rs. 5 crores has been set apart for this purpose. The budget has set apart Rs. 50 lakhs to improve the basic facilities of the seven special schools in the State, serving the needs of students who are physically challenged.

With the opening up of the higher education sector, Kerala has been able to catch up with the leading States in this sphere, Mr. Sankaranarayanan said. With a view to strengthening the functioning of the universities in the State, the Minister has set apart Rs. 23 crores. The University of Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi University, Sri Sankaracharya Sanskrit University, Kalady, Calicut University and Kannur University would benefit from this.

For the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), there is an allocation of Rs. 4 crores and for the Kerala Agricultural University a sum of Rs. 23.50 crores has been provided. A special assistance of Rs. 1 crore has been provided for the construction of a new block to the Thalappady Centre of the School of Medical Education under the Mahatma Gandhi University.

In addition to the budgeted schemes, the Minister has provided Rs. 10 lakhs for the upgradation of the Technical High School in Ezhukone as a polytechnic.

All efforts at improving the quality of education would be in vain unless the parents are fully involved in the education of their wards, the Minister said. The Government would introduce a path breaking monitoring system to ensure that schools deliver the services expected of them. In order to design and operationalise such a system in the government and aided schools in the State, a sum of Rs. 50 lakhs has been provided.

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