Date:24/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/24/stories/2008052458390300.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Singareni to start polytechnic

Staff Reporter

The college will start functioning from this academic year

Admissions to commence on May 24
Fee concession for merit students

KOTHAGUDEM: The Singareni Collieries Educational Society will set up a polytechnic college in Sreerampur area this year, according to the SCCL Chief General Manager Education, K. Radhakrishan and DGM Personnel welfare, Y. Venkateswarlu on Friday.

Addressing a news conference here, they said that a sum of Rs. 3 crores would be spent on establishment of workshops laboratories and library in the institution which would start functioning from the ensuing academic year.

Admissions would commence in the institution along with other colleges in the State on May 24. The college would be established in what was earlier the coal chemical complex. They said that the SC Educational Society was keen on extending fee concession to candidates with merit. After a thorough study of the employment potential, it had decided to offer the branches of Civil engineering (60 seats), computer engineering (60 seats) Mechanical engineering (40 seats) and EEE ( 40 seats).

Separate hostels

It would be the first institution of its kind to be promoted by a government company fulfilling its social responsibility towards development of educational facilities in backward areas. The college would have separate hostels for boys and girls.

The Singareni Educational society had introduced computer education in three schools – the Singareni Collieries high schools at Kothagudem, Godavari Khani and Goleti. The three institutions had some 800 students enrolled and they were being trained by special faculty under the supervision of the NIIT. The Institutions were provided with required hardware.

The SC Educational society had some 10,000 students studying in its schools and 1,000 in the degree colleges and 450 in junior colleges. About 58 per cent of the students were the children of the employees of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).

The society had spent Rs. 16.75 crores on the institutions during 2007-2008 and 95 per cent of the total expenditure went for the salaries. The society had a revenue of Rs. 2.25 crores from the institutions. The society was spending Rs. 16,000 per student per annum.