Education to get priority in 12th Plan, says Sibal

Updated on: Monday, December 26, 2011

Union minister for human resource development (HRD), Kapil Sibal said that the health and higher education sector will get more allotment in the twelfth Five Year Plan.

Speaking after dedicating the off-campus of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Chelamala near Perinthalmanna in the district on Saturday, Sibal said funds would not be a problem for the growth of the off-campus centre here. “The sad story of India is that out of every 100 students, only 15 per cent reach college. Nowhere in the developed world, is the percentage less than 30. By 2020 we will increase the percentage from 15 to 30,” Sibal said.

He said that India’s real wealth does not lie in bank savings or other property but in developing intelligence and that the real wealth lay in the universities. Referring to the Aakash Android-based computer tablet, Sibal said that he now wants an Aakash tablet on the laps of every Muslim child.

Chief minister, Oommen Chandy said that the Malappuram district would be on the global map of higher education with AMU’s Malappuram centre and proposed Malayalam University. He assured the union minister that the state government would ensure that all the basic infrastructure for the AMU Malappuram centre was put in place.

Minister for Power Aryadan Mohammed said agencies like ANERT would be asked in the next week to explore the possibility of setting up either a windmill or a solar energy project on the campus. If feasible, two-thirds of the expenditure would be borne by the centre and the state government and only the rest of the one-third need be paid by the university.

The opposition LDF boycotted the function pointing out that neither former MLA, V. Sasikumar, who they say was instrumental in allotting the land to the AMU centre in Chelamala, nor any LDF MLAs were invited.

Education to get priority in 12th Plan, says Sibal

More Education news