The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Free textbooks up to Plus-Two

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 21, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Free textbooks up to Plus-Two

Special Correspondent

Scheme will benefit 11 lakh more students

CHENNAI: The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today announced the extension of the free textbook scheme for school students to the Standard XII stage from the academic year 2005-2006 itself. In a statement here, she said the Government recently introduced the free textbook scheme for the benefit of students from Standard I to X. It was aimed at preventing school children from discontinuing their studies.

Encouraging students

The scheme had brought cheer to the poor who had been sending their children to schools, besides encouraging the students to continue their studies without interruption, and the Government had therefore decided to extend distribution of free textbooks to all students up to the Plus-Two stage.

The decision would benefit Standard XI and Standard XII students of Government schools and aided schools, she said, adding that students belonging to the self-financed streams in the aided schools would also be covered under the scheme.

Additional expenditure

"The Government will incur an additional expenditure of Rs. 22.25 crores as 11 lakh more students are covered."

The Government would earmark Rs. 83.70 crores for distribution of free textbooks for 1.08 lakh students from Standard I to Standard XII this year, the Chief Minister said.

This is the first major announcement by the Chief Minister after her party won both the Assembly byelections last week.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu