Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday earmarked Rs 61.12 crore for constructing own buildings for 84 hostels for students hailing from Backward Classes and Most Backward Classes. Besides, the CM also granted Rs 3.35 crore for setting up of solar power equipment in these hostels.
Apart from these, the CM also ordered upgradation of nine Kallar Reclamation Schools in Madurai, Dindigul and Theni districts, for the benefit of Piramalai Kallar community and creation of 57 new posts of teachers and administrative staff for these schools. This would cost an additional expenditure of Rs 1.39 crore.
Already the government has been providing all assistance for the students — tuition fees, nutritious noon-meal, educational instruments, colour pencils, textbooks, notebooks, pencils and geometry boxes, among others. As a follow up of these measures, the CM has directed that the schools, now functioning in rented buildings should have their own buildings to improve the learning environment for the students.
There are 148 hostels for the students belonging to the students of BCs, MBCs and Denotified Communities now functioning in rented buildings. In the first phase, own buildings would be constructed for 84 hostels during this financial year. Of the 84 hostels, 69 can accommodate 50 students each and 15 hostels can accommodate 100 students each.
There are 285 Kallar Reclamation Schools including 24 higher secondary schools, 25 high schools, 25 middle schools and 211 primary schools which accommodate 37,556 students.
With a view to encourage these students to continue their studies, the CM announced that the primary schools in Perumalpatti in Madurai district, Karuvelnaickenpatti and P Meenakshipuram in Theni district would be upgraded as middle schools. Similarly, the middle schools at Karadikkal and Muthupatti in Madurai district and Siddhargal Natham in Dindigul district would be upgraded as high schools.
The high schools at Markaiyankottai and Muthanampatti in Theni district and Chennamanaickenpatti in Dindigul district would be upgraded as higher secondary schools.