The State government has allocated ₹8,212 crore for higher education for the fiscal 2024-25; it is ₹1,245.24 crore more than last year’s allocation.
Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, in his Budget speech in the Assembly on Monday, said 45 polytechnic colleges would be upgraded to industry 4.0 standards at a cost of ₹3,014 crore.
The government has allocated ₹511 crore towards the cost of education of 28,749 students admitted under the 7.5% horizontal reservation for government school students in professional courses.
Coimbatore will have a library and science centre that will house books, literary journals and “exhibits on various engineering and scientific streams” besides an incubation hub, the Minister said, adding (the) “monument will act as the epitome of the rich Tamil intellectual community.”
It is proposed to build hostels for girl students from Adi Dravidar and Tribal communities in Chennai, Thanjavur, Dharmapuri and Namakkal districts and a boys’ hostel for college students in Madurai district at a cost of ₹75 crore. This is in addition to the state-of-the-art hostels being built in Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, the Nilgiris and Chennai at a cost of ₹150 crore.
The government has also proposed to offer a comprehensive skill development programme tailored specifically for hostel students.
Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Puthumai Penn Thittam would be extended to girl students in Tamil medium government-aided schools as well from the next academic year.
Under the scheme, each girl student from Tamil medium government school receives ₹1,000 monthly assistance to enable them to continue higher education. The Minister said 34,460 more girl students had enrolled in the first year of higher education since the implementation of the scheme. A total of ₹370 crore has been allocated for it.
The Transgender Welfare Board will get ₹2 crore towards absorption of educational expenses, including tuition and hostel fees of transgender students pursuing higher education. Around ₹200 crore has been allocated to upgrade civil infrastructure in arts and science, engineering and polytechnic colleges. A total of ₹173 crore will be allocated to 236 arts and science, engineering and polytechnic colleges for computers, scientific equipment and integrated learning management systems.
