The State government has issued orders to establish 11 new arts and science colleges in rural areas in the form of constituent colleges of various universities.
The order comes in the backdrop of the statement issued by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on the floor of the Assembly on April 19 that the government would set up two engineering, seven polytechnic and 11 arts and science colleges in small towns.
According to the GO dated May 19 posted on State government website on Wednesday, 8 of the 11 colleges to be set up in Salem, Kanyakumari, Dindigul, Erode, Madurai, Tiruvallur, Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli districts would be jointly funded by the State and Central governments.
The other three colleges to be established in Nagapattinam, Virudhunagar and Vellore, will function with funding from the State government. The order said each of the colleges have been allowed to start five courses to start, considering the number of students.