VIJAYAWADA: The Amma Vodi scheme is also applicable to women sending their children to junior colleges. They will also get Rs 15,000 per annum like the mothers sending their children to school. A decision to this effect was taken by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at a review meeting on education sector held on Thursday.
Briefing mediapersons after the meeting, Minister for Education Adimulapu Suresh said the decision was taken in a bid to encourage women to send their children to junior colleges.
“We are mapping the beneficiaries for effective implementation of the scheme. Women from BPL families holding white ration cards and sending their children to schools and Intermediate colleges — government or private — will be given Rs 15,000 a year,” he explained.
The minister said that focus was on bringing reforms in primary, secondary, technical and higher education. “The government’s plan is to improve education standards and ensure value-based education in schools and colleges. Steps will be taken for transforming schools and colleges as skill-development centres,” Suresh explained.
He said Amma Vodi was one step in that direction and efforts were on for improving infrastructure in schools and colleges, which were largely neglected during the previous government.
“We will change the face of schools and colleges in the next two years the deadline set by the Chief Minister,” he said and added that measures would be taken for improving infrastructure facilities such as toilets, drinking water facilities, furniture, fans, blackboards and compound walls.
Special attention will be paid to IIITs in the State, which the Jagan government felt, were totally neglected by the previous TDP regime.
The Education Minister and officials were asked to visit IIITs and take stock of the situation. Measures will be taken to strengthen IIITs and the construction of own campuses for Srikakulam and Ongole IIITs will be completed in 2-3 years, the minister said.
Further, it was decided at the meeting to constitute search committees for appointing vice-chancellors to the various universities in the State within a month and fill existing vacancies in the education department, both administrative and academic, by the end of the year so that the teacher-student ratio in educational institutions will be in tune with the recommendations of the UGC and other national-level institutions.
“All universities have been asked to go for grading and strive to get A and A+. The State government will provide funds and other assistance,” Suresh said. The CM, who promised to reform the education sector from top to bottom, particularly government educational institutions where students from poor and middle classes study, asked the officials concerned to submit a report on all government schools and colleges along with photographs of the present situation and prepare an action plan for transforming them.
Paying special attention to fee reimbursement, Jagan opined that when the scheme was implemented in a full-fledged manner, the number of students pursuing higher education will increase. Officials were asked to change the varying fee reimbursement structures and see that fee reimbursement is done every three months.
Taking exception to the delay in clearance of bills of midday meals, he wanted the bills cleared immediately. Officials were also asked to distribute three pairs of uniforms, shoes and socks along with textbooks and stationery to the students within a week after schools are reopened.
New syllabus
A committee will be constituted to improve syllabus for transforming schools and colleges as job-oriented skill development centres, so the students after coming out are can get employment. The new syllabus will be implemented from next academic year. Further, Skill development centres will be set up in every Assembly Constituency.
Land to edu institutes
The Chief Minister observing that lands were given to private universities and educational institutions in the capital region without rhyme or reason, asked the officials to prepare a list of the institutions, which got land, but are yet to ground the institutions.
Uniforms
Officials told to distribute three pairs of uniforms, shoes and socks along with textbooks to school students