Secondary education receives big boost

THE HANS INDIA | Mar 16,2017 , 05:49 AM IST Amaravati: In an effort to strengthen the education sector in the state, finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu proposed Rs 17,197 crores for secondary education and Rs 3,513 crore for higher education, totalling Rs 20,710 crore, in his 2017-18 state budget. In order to improve the quality of school education, digital classrooms have been established in 1,641 schools across the state. Vocational education was introduced in 126 model schools during 2016-17 with the new syllabus of National Vocational Education Qualification Framework.  The state government introduced Badikosta scheme and proposed to supply bicycles to girl students of Class 9 in high schools.  In the financial year 2017-18, Rs 330 crore is proposed for Rashtriya Madhyamika Shiksha Abhiyaan (RMSA) programme, including Rs 49 crore for creation of capital assets. As far as higher education is concerned, the government has initiated several measures, including filling 1,385 vacant teaching posts in state universities. The finance minister has proposed an allocation of Rs 3,513 crore for higher education in the financial year 2017-18.  Already, five national-level institutes viz. IIT-Tirupati, IISER-Tirupati, IIM-Visakhapatnam, NIT-Tadepalligudem and IIIT-Kurnool, are fully functional in the state and 1,467 students in all these institutes covering two academic years, 2015-16, 2018-17, are pursuing their studies.  Further, under RUSA (Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan), four new model colleges have been sanctioned and funds for infrastructure to various colleges have been released. To make the 82 government polytechnics more industry-oriented, their syllabus has been revised. At present, about 1,070 students have been admitted in Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Institute of Information Technology at Ongole and another IIIT in Srikakulam. Following adoption of fast-track mode through the single window system, several premier educational institutes of global repute like VIT-AP Charitable Trust, National Institute of Design, AP Human Resource Development Institute, Central Institute of Tool Design, SRM University, Amrita University are going to be established in the state for which land has been allotted by the state government.  On the health education front, Ramakrishnudu said land was allotted to Indo-UK Institute of Health and BRS Medcity Healthcare in a bid to develop capital Amaravati as educational hub of global repute.