6,000 new model schools announced

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NEW DELHI, MARCH 29: Acting on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s promise, made in last year’s Independence Day speech, Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Friday announced a model school programme to begin from 2008-09, with the sole aim of establishing 6,000 “high quality” model schools. Besides, a national means-cum-merit scholarship scheme for those studying in classes IX to XII and a special incentive for girls who want to pursue secondary education are also in the offing.

In the higher education sector, the Government proposed to make a beginning in 2008-09 by setting up 16 Central universities, three IITs in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan, two Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) in Bhopal and Thiruvananthapuram and two Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPA) in Bhopal and Vijaywada.

These form the thrust of the education sector’s budget provision, up from last year’s budget allocation by 20 per cent — from Rs 28,674 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 34,400 crore in 2008-09.

Two main programmes in the Education sector got substantial funding— Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) got Rs 13,100 crore this year, as against Rs 10,671 crore last fiscal, while Mid-day Meal scheme received Rs 8,000 crore, up from Rs 7,324 crore.

The focus of SSA, the Finance minister said, will now shift from access and infrastructure at the primary level to enhance retention, improving quality of learning and ensuring access to upper primary classes.

The mid-day meal programme, which was extended to the upper primary classes (VI to VIII) in educationally backward blocks only in October last year, will now be extended to the entire country from 2008-09. This will benefit an additional 2.5 crore children, and the total number of beneficiaries from class I to VIII will be 13.9 crore children.

The government also provided a sum of Rs 80 crore toset up new or upgrade existing hostels, which are attached to the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, which were set up for enrolling girls from SC, ST, OBC and disadvantaged groups.

In this year’s budget, the Government also gave a grant of Rs 5 crore to the Deccan College Post-graduate and Research institute in Pune. Allocation for the secondary education has been doubled with Rs 5,139.70 crore in 2008-09 as against Rs 2,465.18 crore last year. Higher education has received a special attention in the budget with an allocation of Rs 10,852 crore as against Rs 6,397 crore in the revised estimate last year.