TN Govt to launch Universal Secondary Education scheme

Chennai, Jan 23: The Tamil Nadu government will launch Universal Secondary Education (USE) scheme to ensure that every child in the state completed ten years of schooling, Governor S S Barnala announced in the State Assembly today.

Delivering his customary address to the House in the new year, the Governor said the state government having successfully achieved universal primary education, would move for universal secondary education.

''We are happy to note that the Union Government has launched a new scheme for this purpose in the eleventh plan and this government would extend full support for its success,'' he said.

Pointing out that it was during the previous DMK tenure that computer education was introduced for the first time in government higher secondary schools, the Governor said, further, the government would provide computers to 6,650 middle schools of the government and local bodies during the 11th plan period.

''In addition, the government would implement a scheme for providing computers as reward to 1,000 top ranking Tamil medium students in the tenth standard public examination,'' the Governor added.

He said the State Government had requested the Centre to establish Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Coimbatore and Indian Institute of Technology at Madurai and an Indian Institute of Science Education and Research at Tiruchirapalli.

The State Government had also requested the Centre to establish a Central University and the Union Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh had responded positively to the request.

The central university would be established in Tiruvarur district, the Governor added.

UNI