Thursday, November 3 2005 17:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today (Nov 3, 2005) approved the implementation of revised scheme of quality improvement in schools having a 10th Plan Outlay of Rs 115 crore.

Under the revised scheme, the component of improving science education in schools would be transferred to State Governments and Union Territories as state sector schemes, Information and Broadcasting Minister S Jaipal Reddy told reporters.

The allocation of Rs five crore made by the Planning Commission for the new scheme for educational libraries would also be utilised for science education, he said.

Funds would be allocated to National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for four heads of Environment Orientation to School Education, National Population Education Project, Introduction of Yoga in School and International Science Olympiad in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Informatics, he said.

Hostel and other construction activities would be deleted from the list of items for financing yoga programmes in schools, he said.

The implementation of the revised scheme would expedite the enhancement of quality education in Government and Government aided schools and would enable NCERT to have reasonable flexibility in operation of the scheme, Reddy said.

The Union Cabinet also gave its ex-post facto approval for India's participation at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2006 a the Guest of Honour country, he said adding the overall expenditure towards this would be around Rs 20 crore.