The objective of the Government is to not only make every citizen literate but also adequately educated. Therefore education, at least up to class 10, will be made compulsory for every child in the State.
The allocation for higher education firmly focuses on developing universities that were set up last year with Rs 10 crore each granted to Tumkur University, Davangere University and the Women’s University, Bijapur.
Primary, Secondary
Notably, an additional Rs 100 crore from the total budget of Rs 8,830 crore for primary and secondary education will be given this year as school development fund to supplement the annual allocation for infrastructure from the budget.
The fund will be used to provide facilities for classrooms, sanitation and drinking water to all government schools. This allocation, according to officials at the education department, is in keeping with the government’s resolve to spend a total of Rs 1,500 crore over the next three years for infrastructure development at schools.
Further, Rs 700 crore will be spent under the Rashtriya Madhyamika Shiksha Abhiyan scheme for 2010-11. The scheme will be implemented with the support of the Centre, with the latter bearing about 75 per cent of the cost.
This emphasis on the development of infrastructure is a marked departure from last year’s budget, which centred around the recruitment of teachers and filling vacancies. Although this year’s budget includes a special allocation of Rs 5 crore to fund higher education and skills improvement of school teachers.
Higher, Medical Education
As part of the budget for higher education, the government will provide Rs 10 crore to establish a new varsity called the Vijayanagar University at Bellary, aside from the grants to varsities set up last year.
Significantly, the budget for higher education does not include any allocation for the innovation universities, which are being mooted at Mysore and Karnatak varsities.
M K Sridhar, Secretary, Karnataka Knowledge Commission opined that by allocating additional funds for the projects started last year, the State appears to be strengthening them. “The budget has focused on the consolidation of what has been started last year,” he said, while adding that the new projects were being nurtured with allocations that has been announced. Sridhar added that the outlay for the new universities was a step towards all round development of higher education.
DH News Service
* Vijayanagara University to be established at Bellary
* Annual allocation of Rs one crore for National Law School of India University (NLSIU)
* Outlay of Rs 4 for DNA Diagnostic Institute in Karnatak University, Dharwad
* Rs one crore for setting up of Centre for Pali Language in Gulbarga University
* Rs 10 crore allocated each for Women’s University, Tumkur University and Davangere University
* Outlay of Rs 5 crore for Kannada University in Hampi.
* Provision of Rs 10 crore for the skills development in government colleges
* Rs 76 crore set aside for construction of buildings in ten government engineering colleges and 22 polytechnics
* 100 degree colleges to be extended with science and commerce facilities at Rs 50 crore for 2010-11 year
Medical
* Rs 5 crore allocated for cancer treatment facilities in Kidwai Institute of Oncology, Hubli
* Rs 20 crore for completion of construction work of Shimoga Medical College
* Additional amount of Rs 20 crore set aside to increase the admission capacity of selected medical colleges
* 15 acres of land in Kengeri and Rs 5 crore for Mata Amritanandmayi Super Speciality Hospital
* Rs five crore set aside for upgrading government ayurveda hospitals in Bangalore, Mysore and Bellary