Kiran coming on Tuesday

Literacy drive: Minister for Secondary Education Kolusu Parthasaradhy on Saturday announcing Chief Minister Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy's visit to the Krishna district.

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy will formally launch 1,067 classrooms from Krishna district on Tuesday as part of `Vdyapaksha Utsavalu' during his one-day visit.

At a press conference here on Saturday, Secondary Education Minister Kolusu Parthasaradhy said that these schools were constructed all over Andhra Pradesh at a cost of Rs.35 lakh each.

The celebration of the prominence given to education to enrol as many students as possible from June 13 to 25 would be continued even after the special drive.

Special watch would be kept on the number of dropouts every month and the total literacy rate would be improved following Andhra Pradesh lagging behind 30 states in the country, the Minister added.

All children in 5 to 15 years would be pursued to come to schools and become literate, for which uniforms, and books would be distributed free, while Mid-Day meal scheme would be run in a better manner and sheds would be constructed in all the schools by investing Rs.1.75 crore, Mr. Parthasaradhy said.

The Minister said that Rs.313 crore was being spent on improving the infrastructure, while foundation was being laid for 355 Model Schools in the State.

A massive public meeting would be organised at Kanur with a congregation of 50,000 people on Tuesday, at which the Chief Minister would address the people on the achievements of the 100-day Government headed by Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Loan eligibility cards would be given to tenant farmers without making the land owners liable for repayment of the loans, the minister said and added that initially 26 lakhs of them would be given away.

Another Rs.16 crore would be spent on Indira Jala Prabha to encourage drip irrigation among the SC/ST farmers, he explained.

Continuous training would be give to the English medium teachers in Government schools also to make the teaching qualitative, he said and added that the rationalisation of the teaching posts by moving 26,000 of them would ensure proper 1:30 Teacher:

Student ratio in all the schools in Andhra Pradesh. Pratibah Puraskars would also be given by spending Rs.20 crore to encourage students in Classes 8, 9 and 10 to perform better.