Tamil Nadu has become the ‘Knowledge Hub’ of India, thanks to the farsighted initiatives being taken by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to elevate higher education to the next level, according to Minister for Higher Education K.P. Anbazhagan.
Participating in the valedictory function of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University’s silver jubilee celebrations held here on Thursday, Mr. Anbazhagan said 75 students studying in government colleges across the State had a rare opportunity of doing a semester in a foreign institution in the past three years as the State government had allocated Rs. 13.50 crore in this regard.
Even as the national average of students getting higher education stood at 23.60 per cent, 44.80 per cent students of Tamil Nadu were joining colleges and 18,535 students, including 7,456 girls, were pursuing their research.
While 42.70 per cent of girls had access to collegiate education in the State, the national average stood only at 22.70 per cent. Similarly, the percentage of Dalits getting higher education in Tamil Nadu was 33.70 per cent whereas the national average was 18.50 per cent, he said.
The Minister said 67 new colleges had been started in Tamil Nadu since 2011 to make higher education accessible to students from even the poorest families. While the students–colleges ratio stood at 1 lakh students: 37 colleges in Tamil Nadu, the all India figure was 1 lakh students: 27 colleges.
“The State government has spent Rs. 24,129 crore for giving freebies to the students during the current fiscal. Now, Tamil Nadu has become India’s ‘Knowledge Hub’ because of these constructive efforts,” Mr. Anbazhagan said.
Minister for Adi Dravida Welfare V.M. Rajalakshmi appealed to the students to make use of the facilities available in the library to enrich their knowledge.
Releasing a postal cover in connection with the university’s silver jubilee celebrations, T. Nirmala Devi, Regional Director (Postal Services), Southern Region, listed the services offered by the department for the rural population.
Vice-Chancellor K. Baskar, Registrar A. John De Britto, Collector M. Karunakaran, MPs K.R.P. Prabhakaran, S. Muthukaruppan, Vasanthi Murugesan and others participated.
