Soon, affordable loan facility for eligible students

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 1

Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj yesterday directed the Education Department to prepare a ‘Vidyarthi credit card scheme’ for affordable and simplified education loans to eligible students.

Presiding over a Cabinet sub-committee meeting here today, he said the ‘Vision Document’ of the state government was based on the general public opinion to meet the aspirations of Himachal residents. The Education Minister directed the departments to ensure effective implementation of it.

A proposal for amendments to the Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions (Regulation) Act, 1997, was made at the meeting.

Bhardwaj said that the government was modernising the education system in the state by providing IT facilities in schools and colleges.

As many as 114 colleges out of 137 had been provided with the WiFi facility. A provision of Rs 27.77 lakh had been made to provide the facility in the remaining colleges while there was a provision of Rs 3.72 crore for the WiFi facility in 1,837 government schools.

At least 905 meritorious students were given laptops and 1 GB monthly Internet data in 2018. The IRDP scholarship and relief in tuition fee was being provided up to the graduation level to the eligible girls of the BPL families, he added.

The committee directed to start yoga, chess and music classes in government schools.

It directed the authorities to prepare a policy for the conservation of dialects, which were on the verge of extinction, such as Baghati, Handuri, Kulluvi, Kinnauri, Pangvalli, Sirmauri and Spiti. Cultural centres to preserve Kangri, Gaddi, Tibetan and Pahari cultures had also been proposed.