Date:09/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/02/09/stories/2007020906860500.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Others

Gurukulam to be set up at Rapur

Staff Reporter

Classes to begin from July with makeshift classrooms

KANDALERU (NELLORE): It is now official. The 21st Century Gurukulam (21CG) will be set up at Kandaleru of Rapur constituency with an aim to provide better educational and employment avenues to rural students from the ensuing academic year -- 2007-08.

The two-member committee comprising Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education Chairman Prof K. C. Reddy and Sri Venkateswara University Vice-Chancellor S. Jayarama Reddy, who inspected the proposed site along with local MLA Anam Ramnarayana Reddy and district Collector M. Ravi Chandra on Thursday, had in principle agreed to set up 21CG at Kandaleru, given its advantages on various fronts.

Broadband

"It is only a mere formality to give consent as the proposed location complies in every respect to set up 21CG. Once the district administration makes an effort to provide uninterrupted high quality broadband connectivity to the proposed 20-acre area, the gurukulam will come up. And classes will begin from July with makeshift classrooms in the initial stage," APSCHE chairman told The Hindu on Thursday.

Outlining the admission mode, the APSCHE Chairman said that the `gifted' rural graduates, who were defined as the top one per cent based on merit and another one per cent based on social criteria, would be selected from each mandal based on merit in the entrance test. "The entrance examination is statewide, but the selection is based among the best in each mandal."