VIJAYAWADA: The expert committee, constituted to devise an education policy under the chairmanship of professor N Balakrishna, held its first meeting at the State Secretariat on Friday. HRD Minister Adimulapu Suresh addressed the meeting. Later, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy met the panel members at his camp office.
Addressing the panel members, Adimulapu Suresh said, “The expert committee was constituted to review education system and devise an education policy. The committee should also fix fees in private schools.”
“The government is offering RS 15,000 a year to the women who send their children to schools under Amma Vodi scheme, a first of its kind initiative,” the minister said.
Speaking at the meeting at his camp office, the Chief Minister said the State government would take measures to develop all the government schools and colleges in the State.
“The students should be capable of securing a job soon after graduation. We want to develop education standards with an eye on industry requirement. We are offering schemes such as Amma Vodi and 100 per cent fee reimbursement for ensuring education to all,” Jagan said.
N Balakrishna, professor of Indian Institute of Science and Research, Bangalore, stated that only quality of education matters, not number of institutions. Infosys Foundation Chairperson Dr Sudha Narayana Murthy emphasised that rural students should be the prime focus while formulating the new education policy.
Special Chief Secretary JSV Prasad, Principal Secretary B Rajashekar, other members of the committee — Prof Desai, Director, IIT, Hyderabad; Prof Jandhyala BG Tilak, Former V-C, National Institute of Educational Planning; Prof. Nalini Juneja, NIEP & A and Dr R Venkata Reddy of MV Foundation, Hyderabad — were present.