The Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department has decided to collaborate with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, for imparting vocational training to students.

An annual financial assistance of Rs 3.8 crore for the project will be provided to the department by the Central government’s Education Department under the Rashtriya Uchathar Shiksha Abhiyan, a statement from the office of higher education minister, K. Ponmudi said on Friday.

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The two institutions will ink a Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) for the project.

The statement added that the Directorate of Technical Education will sign another MoU with the Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute (EDII).

The project will be implemented with the Central government’s support under the Skill development scheme. The budget allocation is however not mentioned.

The Tamil Nadu government will also open 10 new arts and science colleges in Tamil medium and a women’s college at Koothanallur in Tiruvarur district, the statement said.

The new colleges are coming up at Thiruchuli, Thirukovilur, Thalavadi, Ottachanthiram, Manur, Dharmapuri, Eriyur, Alangudi and Serkadu.

The state government’s initiative, according to the statement, is to increase the number of students’ enrolment and also to provide higher education equally in all districts of the state.

It has also decided to increase the student intake by 25 per cent in colleges.

Meanwhile, the state government would also construct new buildings for four of the 13 new colleges that have already been opened and are functioning in temporary premises.

The statement said that these college buildings in Sankarankoil, Jampukulam, Vanur and Alangudi will be constructed at a cost of Rs 45.32 crore.

Similarly, the department would also launch diploma courses in mechanical and civil engineering in Tamil medium as there is a 20 per cent reservation for Tamil medium students in government jobs, added the statement.

The Institute of Road and Transport Technology at Erode would be upgraded into an engineering college and children of the workers of transport corporation will get 35 per cent reservation for admission in the college.

“We are following the path of our leader Kalaignar Karunanidhi who was a proponent of higher education and following his line, we want our children to be highly educated and competent in the employment market as well as in entrepreneurship,” Ponmudi told IANS.