Pondy Minister invites funds from corporates for govt institutions

Addressing reporters, the minister said that the industrial houses and institutions could contribute funds under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme to ensure that government educational institutions had proper infrastructure.

He said the government on its own was battling shortage of funds and decline in grants from the Centre, causing disruption in ensuring adequate infrastructure. “To tide over the situation, we invite a proactive role by industrial houses and they could contribute funds under the CSR scheme,” he said.

Stating that there had been a rise in demand for seats in government higher education institutions, the minister said to meet the demand the government had increased the number of seats to 6,475 in arts and science colleges. With pass percentage in higher secondary schools having increased, there is a needed increase the number of seats in the arts and science courses, he added. He said the system of online submission of applications for admissions adopted now has attracted good patronage.

Teachers would be appointed in colleges on contract basis soon, he said. Two new undergraduate courses in psychiatry and public administration would be started in Kasturba Government Arts college in Villianoor in Puducherry and in the Arignar Anna Government Arts college in Karaikal this year, he said. Each of these two courses would have an intake of 60 students.

He said that the government would introduce ‘management information system’ to track attendance of teachers and students. On the new education policy, Kamalakannan said the government supported only the two-language formula.