Govt's aim is to provide quality education to rural kids:CM

Hyderabad, Sep 22 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy today called upon industry captains, corporate groups, NGOs, and educational institutions to join hands with the government's initiative to set up Rural Residential Public Schools in the state to provde high quality education to rural children.

Participating in an interactive session at 'Partners in Progress' conclave on Rural Residential Public Schools organised by the AP Invest, a nodal agency of Andhra Pradesh government and School Education Department here, he said the state government was committed to provide quality education to bright young students belonging to semi-urban and rural areas of the state.

The government's objective was to bridge the urban-rural gap.

Children in rural areas were deprived of several benefits available to urban children. It was the responsibility of the corporate groups and industrialists to join hands with the government to fulfil this social responsibility.

''Mere literacy alone is of no value. It is necessary to impart quality education by establishing good educational institutions with best infrastructure.'' While giving the details of the government concept on Rural Residential Public Schools, he said the schools would be established under pubic-private partnership. The private parties who desired to establish the schools would have to bear the expenditure required.

The government proposed to establish 250 to 300 residential schools, one per Assembly constituency, with English as the medium of instruction and CBSE syllabus starting from standard five to 12.

The government would provide required 30 to 50 acre in dry land areas under long term lease and the private partners had to bear the non-recurring costs. The government would share 50 per cent of the recurring expenditure.

UNI