VISAKHAPATNAM: The State Government has decided to convert all the welfare hostels into residential schools at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore in phases, said Tribal and Social Welfare minister R Kishore Babu. As part of massive reforms, the government had decided to convert 200 welfare hostels into residential schools this year, the minister added.
Kishore Babu inaugurated Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Regional Science Fair. All the tribal gurukul students exhibited their works at Marikavalasa Gurukul here Monday.
On the occasion, the minister said that the government had framed guidelines to convert the hostels into residential schools. The hostels with 50 or less inmates and have been achieving poor results would be converted into residential schools this year, Kishore Babu said. Since expenditure on the hostels is a burden on the State exchequer, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu took a decision to provide quality and corporate standard education to the children in the State, he added.
As many as 500 students of tribal gurukuls from the three districts and supported by 211 teachers are participating in the science fair. In order to bring out the latent talents of the tribal students, the regional-level science fair was being held and two more such fairs would be conducted, the minister added.
Zilla parishad chairperson L Bhavani, MLCs G Sandhya Rani and G Srinivasulu Naidu and former vice-chancellor of Acharya Nannayya University John Victor were present.
Navyandhra Rajadhani Amaravathi (AP Capital City), Global Warming, Disaster Management and Solar Village exhibits drew the visitors’ appreciation.