Classes 1 to 5 in primary education

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, MAY 31. Primary education will be of five-year duration from the 2001- 2002 academic year as against the present four years, and higher primary education will be of three-year duration.

A decision to this effect was taken at the Cabinet meeting here on Thursday to make the educational system in the State fall in line with those prevailing in most parts of the country, as recommended by the task force headed by Dr. Raja Ramanna.

Briefing presspersons about the decisions taken at the meeting, the Minister of State for Information, Prof. B. K. Chandrashekar, said that as a result of the decision, the duration of high school education will be two years from this academic year.

Another major decision taken was to make pass in pre- university course the minimum qualification for admission to the teachers' training course. This would also come into effect from this academic year.

The change in the system would necessitate additional teachers, furniture and equipment in the existing primary schools. About 15,000 teachers were to be recruited at the block level. The recruitment rules of the department were being amended to provide for block-level recruitment of teachers as against the present district-level recruitment system.

While deciding to have primary schools in every village, the Cabinet also fixed the ratio of teachers based on the number of students enrolled. Accordingly, there will be one teacher for 20 students, two for 21 to 60 students, three for 61 to 100, and four for 101 to 150 students in junior primary schools.

The ratio fixed for higher primary schools is two for students numbering up to 40, three for 41 to 90, four for 91 to 130, and five for 130 to 180 students.

Pension for freedom fighters

The Cabinet also decided to raise the monthly honorarium being given to freedom fighters from Rs. 750 to Rs. 1,000.

According to another decision, the Government would stand guarantee to the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. for the Rs. 1,500-crore loan to be raised by it from financial institutions for taking up structural changes for system improvement.

It was decided to set up eight-member committees at the district level to monitor the implementation of the Prime Minister's Road Development Programme under which the State is likely to get Rs. 94 crores from the Centre. The Chief Executive Officers of the zilla panchayats would be the chairmen of the committees.

Prof. Chandrashekar said that a communication had been received from Delhi announcing that the Chief Minister, Mr. S. M. Krishna, had been made the co-chairman of the organising committee of the 32nd International Film Festival Committee to be held in Bangalore in October. The first meeting of the committee would be held in Delhi on June 29.

Asked about the Supreme Court's direction to the Government on the issue of reservation in promotions in Public Works, Health, and Panchayat Raj and Rural Development departments, he said a provisional list of seniority would be published in accordance with the decision.

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