The Andhra Pradesh Government would continue the scheme of fee reimbursement, introduced during 2008-09, for meritorious students belonging to the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes studying in corporate colleges.
At a joint press conference here today, Secondary Educatiion Minister Manik Varaprasada Rao, B C Welfare Minister M Mukesh Goud, Higher Education Minister D Sridhar Babu, Minority Welfare Minister Mohd Ahamadulla Syed and Rural Development Minister V Vasantha Kumar clarified the government would continue with the scheme.
Besides, it would also develop the Government Junior Colleges in the State on par with the corporate colleges by providing qualified lecturers and creating necessary infrastructure to give coaching to students appearing for entrance examinations for IIT and EAMCET. They said 13.50 lakh students had registered this year for the fee reimbursement.
Political parties and backward organisations criticised the government for issuing the Government Order (GO) yesterday stating the scheme for providing financial assistance to the poor would not be taken up from this academic year.
However, the government, after discussons with various Ministries amended the GO deleting the clause of discontinuing the scheme and agreed to provide financial assistance to the meritorious poor students.