Heggade highlights role of education in country's development

He was delivering the key-note address at the district level educational convention and information workshop on “Proactive Administration for Quality Education” at Netravati Auditorium of Zilla Panchayat here on Saturday.

Mr Heggade noted that the biggest difference in India since independence is the creation of opportunities that has helped the people from the rural areas to grow and contribute for the development of the nation.

Commenting on the encouragement of the Government towards education, he said 'Government' is even providing meals as means to provide a balanced diet for economically backward children.

He commended the efforts by the 'Government' in promoting education. “Education is free, books are free and uniforms are free. To encourage students further they are even freed of exams till eighth standard”, he observed.

He recommended the use of Public Private Partnership to be employed in the mid-day meal scheme to make it more successful.

He also encouraged the officials to make use of the opportunities they have received to strive for the benefits of the society, even though their efforts cannot be directly observed by the general public.

G K Kumar Nayak, Secretary of State, Primary and Higher Education, Government of Karnataka said that Human Resource Development has been the primary objective of the government today.

“Today, State Government's budget on education is Rs 10,100 crores, which consists 4% of state GDP”, he noted. Due to mid-day meal scheme 99,000 women are involved in cooking in 27,000 kitchens across the state, he said.

He explained that Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and its related schemes strive to create a feeling of oneness with the school and society by encouraging involvement from parents, NGO's and voluntary organisations.

Channappa Gowda, Deputy Commissioner, Dakshina Kannada District, advised the officers and teachers present to create a sense of mutual trust among themselves for better application of schemes.

Dr K N Vijayaprakash, CEO, Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat, Shailaja Bhat, President, Zilla Panchayat, Dakshina Kannada, Eshwar Kateel, President, Education and Health Standing Committee were present among others.