Central edu scheme in TN this year

Chennai, Dec. 4: Chief minister M. Karunanidhi on Friday announced that his government would implement the universalisation of secondary education programme (Rashtriya Mdhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan), to ensure that every child in the state completes 10 years of schooling, at a cost of Rs. 151.44 crore in this fiscal year itself.

In a statement issued here, the chief minister said, “The vision of this programme is to provide high quality secondary education to all girls and boys up to the age of 16 by 2015 and extend it to higher secondary education for them up to the age of 18 by 2020.”

Mr Karunanidhi said that through this programme, 200 new higher secondary schools would be opened at a cost of Rs. 116.24 crore. “The state run 4841 high and higher secondary schools would get Rs. 40,000 each as school grants and Rs. 25,000 each for carrying out minor repair works,” he said adding that 15,000 teachers would be given in-service training at a cost of Rs. 1.50 crore. The chief minister said that apart from this, 18-model higher secondary school would be opened at a cost Rs. 3.77 crore each in the educationally backward districts.