Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday said the efforts of the state government are paying well as the admissions to the primary and middle schools in the state are approaching the 100 per cent mark. 

He also said the state government had taken steps to develop higher education too by opening new arts and science colleges, besides engineering colleges and polytechnics in the last six years. 

Inaugurating the ‘Amma auditorium’ at C Kandhaswamy Naidu College premises built by Pachaiyappan Trust in the city and presiding over the wedding of 21 couples, the Chief Minister said the state government had allocated Rs1.37 lakh crore for the School Education Department in the last six years. A total of 1,599 schools had been upgraded in the last seven years, he added.

In primary education, the admission rate is 99.85 per cent, while in the middle schools the admission rate is 99.20 per cent. In higher education, the government had opened 65 new colleges, including 21 government arts and science colleges, four engineering colleges, 16 polytechnics and 24 university constituent colleges in the last six years, he said.

In the last one year alone, the government had set up eight arts and science colleges, three university constituent colleges and one polytechnic, the Chief Minister said and added that the government had allocated Rs 10 crore for the Tamil chair in the Harvard University. 

The government had also increased the free uniform sets for school children from two to four, besides giving free text books and priceless cycles and laptops. The government is also continuing all the welfare schemes introduced by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, including the schemes of gold for thaali, marriage assistance, distribution of free cattle, mixers, grinders and fans, Palansiwami said. The government had procured a large quantity of milk resulting in a white revolution, he added. 

Besides, the welfare schemes had led to socio-political revolution in the state and creating an impact on other states too, the Chief Minister said.  

Palaniswami touched upon MGR centenary celebrations and said it has been organised in 30 districts so far and various development schemes were announced in those functions. “Steps to implement the schemes are on,” added the Chief Minister.