Round Table India to construct 1500 class rooms across India

Chennai, July 14 (UNI) Round Table India, a non-political and non sectarian organisation, which has been striving to develop the infrastructure of schools, proposes to build 1500 class rooms across the country, involving a total investment of Rs 50 crore.

Talking to newspersons here, Mr Shivkumar Eashwaran, newly elected President for the year 2006-07, said of the 1500 class rooms, 300 would be built in Tamil Nadu during this year, involving an investment of Rs Nine crore.

He said the ''Freedom through Education'' project, which aimed at reaching education to about one million children by 2008 had gained momentum and during this year, one lakh children would be covered under the project.

''We have so far covered five lakh children and this year, we proposed to cover one lakh more children under the programme. We are confident of achieving the target by 2008,'' Mr Eashwaran said.

As part of providing infrastructural facilities for the schools, the organisation would concentrate on providing toilets to schools as a recent study showed that nearly half of the girl students drop out from schools, either due to non availablility of toilets or bad toilets, he said.

Round Table India had so far built 1000 schools across the country, including 400 in Tamil Nadu.

''In the tsunami hit areas alone, we have built 126 schools, spending about Rs seven crore, he added.

Asserting that Round Table India would continue to fight against illiteracy, Mr Eashwaran appealed to corporates and individuals to join hands by providing financial support for the infrastructure development projects in schools.

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