Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the higher education sector is set for a major overhaul. The State Budget has given wings to the government’s aspirations to transform the State into a knowledge society, he added.
Inaugurating the distribution of the ‘Chief Minister’s Vidyarthiprathibha’ awards for meritorious students from economically disadvantaged sections here on Wednesday, Mr. Vijayan said the announcements highlighted the government’s resolve in elevating academic standards in the higher education sector.
Among the various programmes that would soon be rolled out in the State, he cited the internship programme by way of which 5,000 graduates would be provided an opportunity to intern in companies related to their areas of specialisation in its initial phase.
While the government would provide its share of ₹5,000 towards stipend, the company will be expected to contribute an equivalent or greater amount. The selected graduates will be able to intern for six months, thereby enabling them to upgrade their skills and improve employability.
Reiterating the government’s ambitions of attracting foreign students and rein in the outflow of students to pursue courses that were not offered in the State, the Chief Minister said the construction of 1,500 hostel rooms would soon commence in five major universities. As many as 250 international hostel rooms would also be established. Necessary budgetary allocations had also been made to construct new libraries, laboratories and stadiums in higher education institutions.
He said the previous and the present Left Democratic Front (LDF) governments had focussed on ushering in holistic development rooted in social justice. Priority was being given to prevent lopsided development that confined progress to particular regions or communities.
Referring to the Chief Minister’s Vidyarthiprathibha awards, Mr. Vijayan said such initiatives were intended to improve accessibility in higher education. Top-ranking graduates from various universities with annual family income of less than ₹2.5 lakh were provided cash prize of ₹1 lakh and a citation as part of the initiative.
Presiding over the function, Higher Education Minister R. Bindu stressed on the efforts being undertaken to address brain drain in the State. Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal delivered the keynote address
V.K. Prasanth, MLA, Additional Chief Secretary (Higher Education) V. Venu, Kerala University Vice Chancellor V.P. Mahadevan Pillai, and Director of Collegiate Education V. Vigneshwari participated in the programme.
