Extending its policy of providing affordable English medium education to students, the Chhattisgarh government has decided to set up English medium government colleges from the next academic session (2023-24).
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced on the Twitter that at least 10 such colleges – to be called Swami Atmanand English Medium Aadarsh Mahavidyalaya (Excellence College) – will be opened in prominent cities of the state during the 2023-24 session and each of the 33 district headquarters will have such a college within next three years.
The CM also shared a note sheet proposing the establishment of the colleges. It mentions that due to unavailability of English medium government colleges in the state, students have to spend heavily on higher education in metro cities.
“In the recent past, I met many guardians (of students). Everyone said that the Congress government has established excellent English and Hindi medium schools where free education is available. However, they are worried as to where the students will study after class 12 as education in metro cities is very expensive,” Baghel tweeted.
“Therefore, we have decided that on the lines of the outstanding government schools, we will also establish government colleges. These will be English medium government colleges that will provide excellent higher education. At the outset, they will be established at 10 major cities and in the next three years, we will establish them at all district headquarters,” Baghel said.
“Now the guardians need not worry. Let your children study as per their wish. Now the economic constraints in sending children out (of the state) for good education will be done away with. The education revolution in Chhattisgarh will present the best education model in the country in the time to come,” the CM said.
The much-appreciated Swami Atmanand English Medium Aadarsh Mahavidyalaya scheme was launched in November 2020. Starting with 50 schools, it now has 279, of which 32 are Hindi medium while the others offer both English and Hindi as the medium of instruction. During his recent Independence Day speech, the chief minister announced that the scheme will be implemented in 422 government schools during the next academic session, and 252 schools will be in Bastar and Sarguja divisions and will cover 100 per cent high and higher secondary schools in Dantewada district.
Baghel said that during the current academic session (2022-23), 2,52,600 children were enrolled in 247 schools, of whom 1.03 lakh were in English medium.
