PM's Independence Day Speech, 2007 on Education: For every one of our
people to benefit from new employment opportunities being created across the
economy, we must ensure that every Indian is educated and skilled. No nation
can progress unless its people are educated. We have shown our Governments
commitment in this regard by tripling public spending on education in the last
three years. I request states also to give priority to education, as education
alone is the foundation on which a progressive, prosperous society can be
built. Growing revenue earnings have improved the fiscal capacity of the
States. They must now give priority to education. Towards this end, our
Government has decided to invest in setting up good quality schools across the
country. We will support 6,000 new high quality schools - one in every block of
the country. Each such school will set standards of excellence for other
schools in the area. As our primary education programmes achieve
a degree of success, there is growing demand for secondary schools and
colleges. We are committed to universalizing secondary education. An extensive
programme for this is being finalized. We will also ensure that adequate
numbers of colleges are set up across the country, especially in districts
where enrolment levels are low. We will help States set up colleges in 370 such
districts. The University system, which has been relatively neglected in
recent years, is now the focus of our reform and development agenda. We will
set up thirty new Central Universities. Every state that does not have a
central university will now have one. In order to promote science and
professional education, we are setting up five new Indian Institutes of Science
Education and Research, eight new Indian Institutes of Technology, seven new
Indian Institutes of Management, and twenty new Indian Institutes of
Information Technology. These will generate new educational opportunities for
our youth. I am sure that, working together, we can ensure that at least a
fifth of our children go to college as compared to one-tenth now. The vast
majority of our youth seek skilled employment after schooling. Last year I
spoke the need for a Vocational Education Mission. Such a Mission is ready to
be launched. We will soon launch a Mission on Vocational Education and Skill
Development, through which we will open 1600 new industrial training institutes
(ITIs) and polytechnics, 10,000 new vocational schools and 50,000 new Skill
Development Centres. We will ensure that annually, over 100 lakh students get
vocational training which is a four-fold increase from todays level. We will
seek the active help of the private sector in this initiative so that they not
only assist in the training but also lend a hand in providing employment
opportunities. We should seek not just functional literacy, but good
quality education education that is affordable, accessible,
equitable and available to every boy and girl who seeks to study. For the
needy we will provide more scholarships. I wish to see a revolution in the
field of modern education in the next few years. It is my fervent desire that
India becomes a fully educated, modern, progressive nation. From this historic
Red Fort, I would like this message to go to every corner of India we will
make India a nation of educated people, of skilled people, of creative people.
http://pmindia.nic.in/lspeech.asp?id=570
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