Education Minister A. Suresh on Sunday said the government was keen on developing the IIITs in the State into Centres of Excellence.
Speaking at a meeting after laying the stone for construction of a computer centre and inaugurating a solar power plant on the Nuzvid IIIT campus, Mr. Suresh said the idea to set up IIITs in Andhra Pradesh had been broached in April 2007 by former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who had wanted to provide access to the rural youth to quality technical education by establishing at least three IIITs in the three regions of the State and ensure better opportunities to them.
The objective of establishing the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT) was to provide high quality educational opportunities to bright students coming from rural background, he said.
The Minister accused the TDP government of neglecting the four IIIT campuses at Nuzvid, Kadapa, Ongole and Srikakulam in the State, and said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was keen on augmenting the facilities and groom them into iconic institutes.
He said the State was aiming to see at least five of its universities in the list of the top 10 universities in the country, and efforts were on to include the IIITs in that list.
Establishment of facilities like incubator centres and skill development centres here were part of the efforts. A special entrance test for admission into these institutes was being contemplated, he added.
Quality education
Mr. Suresh said the reforms ushered in the education sector were aimed at imparting quality education to students keeping their future in mind. Referring to the Mana Badi - Nadu-Nedu programme, he said the government schools recorded 6 lakh more admissions this academic year.
MLA Meka Venkata Pratap Appa Rao, RGUKT Chancellor K.C. Reddy, Vice-Chancellor K. Hemachandra Reddy, Nuzvid IIIT Director G.V.R. Srinivasa Rao, Municipal Chairperson R. Triveni Durga and others were present on the occasion.
Later, addressing a meeting organised in the virtual mode on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, Mr. Suresh said the government had been designing innovating programmes to ensure equal education opportunities to all sections of society.
Congratulating the ‘Best Teachers’ of the year, he said this year the awards function could not be held due to COVID-19 pandemic.
