The State government has set a target to improve the gross enrolment ratio of students in higher education from the present 28% to 40% in the next five years, Minister for Higher Education Basavaraj Rayaraddi has said.
At a programme organised at the Government First Grade College here on Saturday, the Minister said the government was setting up residential colleges in each of the 30 districts where education will be free. Grant of ₹5,000 crore has been sought from the government to build new buildings, classrooms and improve infrastructure in 412 First Grade Colleges and 20 universities.
Mr. Rayaraddi said this year, the State government has decided to give laptops to all first-year students in government and aided colleges. To start with, the laptops will be given to 31,000 students from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe on November 18 in Davangere. The remaining 1.5 lakh students will get laptops by January 2018, he said.
The Minister participated in the function to name the Government College in Car Street after P. Dayanand Pai and his brother P. Satish Pai, Chief Patrons of Century Real Estate Holdings Pvt. Ltd., who have been giving funds for college development. Mr. Rayaraddi laid foundation stone for construction of the Post-Metric Hostel for Backward Classes and inaugurated a computer lab.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister U.T. Khader, MLA J.R. Lobo, MLC Ganesh Karnik, and Mangaluru University Vice-Chancellor K. Bhyrappa participated.
