The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : G.K. Vasan's charge against Tamil Nadu Government

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 02, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

G.K. Vasan's charge against Tamil Nadu Government

Special Correspondent

"Centre's education scheme not implemented seriously"

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president, G.K. Vasan, has criticised the State Government for not taking effective steps for implementing the scheme "Education for all up to Eighth Standard before 2010."

In a statement here on Friday, Mr. Vasan said the Government was not serious in implementing the scheme though the Centre had been providing 85 per cent of the cost. He said when Kamaraj was the Chief Minister of the State the student-teacher ratio was 1: 20, which had increased to 1: 50.

Though the Government claimed that the ratio was 1: 40 in the State in reality it was two teachers for every 99 students, three for 139 students, four for 179 students and five teachers for 219 students.

As against the required strength of 1.60 lakh primary school teachers there were only 75,000 teachers and teacher vacancies had not been filled for many years now.

If the Government was really interested in improving the education standard in rural areas then it should have the teacher- pupil ratio at 1: 30 similar to Central schools and not by giving bi-cycles and free text books.

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