Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has said the upgrading of schools and an increase in admissions has led to a higher Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education in the State.
Delivering his address at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Vellalar Educational Trust at Thindal in Erode on Wednesday, Mr. Palaniswami said that when Jayalalithaa took charge as Chief Minister in 2011, the State’s GER was 32%. “Various schemes and higher allocation for education under her regime has brought GER to 48.6% now,” he claimed, adding that the State’s GER was much higher than the national figure of 25.8%. Mr. Palaniswami said many schools were upgraded, leading to a rise in admissions.
The Chief Minister inaugurated the new building of VET Institute of Arts and Science and released a postal cover and a souvenir. He distributed scholarships, sponsored by Sakthi Masala Group of Companies.
K.A. Sengottaiyan, Minister for School Education, Youth Welfare and Sports Development; P. Thangamani, Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excisep; K.P. Anbalagan, Minister for Higher Education; K.C. Karuppannan, Minister for Environment; and MLAs were present during the event, presided over by G.K. Vasan, president of Tamil Maanila Congress. S.D. Chandrasekar, secretary, Vellalar Educational Trust, welcomed the gathering, while P.K.P. Arun, treasurer, proposed a vote of thanks. N. Maragatham, principal, Vellalar College for Women, presented the college report. Erode Collector C. Kathiravan, S.S. Kandasamy, president of the trust, members of the trust, faculty members and students were present.
