The Hindu : Karnataka News : Libraries to be built at taluk level

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 21, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

Libraries to be built at taluk level

Staff Reporter

Rs. 10 crores allocated

BANGALORE: The Government will construct public library buildings at the taluk level under the rural infrastructure development programme. A Cabinet subcommittee headed by the Water Resources Minister, M. Mallikarjun Kharge, has allocated Rs. 10 crores for the purpose, the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, R. Ramalinga Reddy, has said.

Mr. Reddy told presspersons here on Monday that it has also been decided to increase the allocation for classroom construction under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund from Rs. 10 crores to Rs. 30 crores. The target is to build 22,000 classrooms. During the current year, more than 13,500 classrooms will be constructed.

Mr. Reddy said that after receiving complaints that many private unaided colleges are collecting donations and higher fees, he issued a circular instructing the Director of Pre-University Education to take action against colleges violating the rule.

Complaints have been received about a college in Rajajinagar in Bangalore and a college in Mysore, he said.

As many as 4,500 teachers will be appointed shortly, Mr. Reddy said. The Minister, who earlier received a memorandum from the Federation of Educationists and Social Organisations, said if English is introduced from first standard, there will be no shortage of teachers as those teaching fifth standard children will be deployed for the other classes as well.

He mentioned the Microsoft-funded Project Shiksha under which a training programme for teachers will be held in Gulbarga, Dharwad and Bangalore.

About 1,000 teachers can be trained and their teaching skills upgraded, he said.

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