Exclusive university for tribal students


WAYANAD: A university of international standards is to be set up on 100 acres of the Priyadarshini Tea Estate at Makkimala, near Mananthavady exclusively for tribal children in three years.

The planned venture is designed to offer excellence in learning highlighting vocational education to the tribal children from the primary stage to the postgraduate and doctoral level.

S. Harikishore, Wayanad Sub-Collector, is also the nodal officer of the project believes that the anticipated institution would help resolve issues such as dropout rate of tribal children, undernourishment, and quality schooling.

Molded on the lines of the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences at Bhubaneswar, the establishment will have a syllabus that will help conserve the unique culture and ethnic knowledge of the tribal people.

The initial cost of the project would be about Rs.30 crore.    

As the initial step, a residential school to cater to 350 children, from class 1 to 7 a year, would begin working in June 2013 and classes 8 to 12 would function from 2014.

Other factors such as constitution of the governing body, staffing of instructors, and collaboration with the Kalinga institute would be decided by the end of October.

A first round report had already reached Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Tribes and Youth Affairs P.K. Jayalakshmi and the Secretary of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Department.

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