RUSA varsity to come up in Mandi, says Virbhadra

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 31

CM Virbhadra Singh today announced that the Government Degree College in Mandi would be granted the status of a university under the Rashtriya Uchchtar Shiksha Abhiyaan (RUSA).

Replying to a debate on demands on the Education Department, Virbhadra said RUSA university would be set up by merging half a dozen colleges in and around Mandi town. He was all praise for the RUSA system of education. “I fail to understand why the student community was opposed to RUSA. It needs to realise that we have to match up to international standards and compete globally with the best of education standards,” he said.

Meanwhile, he admitted that a saturation point had been reached as far as opening new educational institutions in the state was concerned. The CM said the government had decided to undertake rationalisation of schools in far-flung and remote areas by merging some schools. “We have arrived at a stage where we do not need any new educational institutions, but to focus on quality improvement,” he said. He added that students in schools with low student strength would be absorbed in nearby schools. “No new school will be opened on political considerations as the sole criterion will be need based,” he said.

He said rationalisation of teachers would be undertaken in schools where the student strength had declined, but the staff strength was the same. Terming most private schools in the state as commercial ventures, he said the mushrooming of these institutions was largely responsible for the decline in strength in government schools.

“A major reason for the growing preference for private schools is the fact that government teachers send their own children to private schools,” he said. Terming CM’s reply dissatisfactory, the BJP staged a walkout.

Urdu, Punjabi teachers in all schools soon

Shimla: Virbhadra Singh on Tuesday said the government will try and appoint Urdu and Punjabi teachers in all government schools where there was demand. Replying to a query by Suresh Kumar (Pachaad) in the Assembly, Virbhadra said teachers in these two languages were to be appointed in 100 schools each. "So far 72 Punjabi and 34 Urdu teachers have been appointed and efforts are on to appoint them wherever there is a requirement," he said. He said as of now their services had been requisitioned period wise and a decision on making their service on contract had not been taken so far.— TNS

House okays Budget  

Shimla: The Assembly passed the General Budget for 2015-16, authorising the government to spend Rs 30, 185.78 cr from the consolidated fund and also passed the Appropriation Bill. CM Virbhadra Singh had presented the Budget on March 18. The Budget includes voted and charged amount of Rs 25,684.48 cr and Rs 4,501.30 cr. — TNS