http://www.telegraphindia.com/archive/1000726/the_east.htm

BENGAL SWIMS AGAINST TIDE

BY SHANKAR MUKHERJEE

Calcutta, July 25 As state-funded educational
institutions across the country increasingly
look for private support to survive, West
Bengal is going the other way. Jyoti Basu's
government has decided to expand state role in
education.

In an extreme measure aimed at checking
mushrooming of 'illegally-run' private computer
education centres, the government will set up
200 such institutes by 2001. For this, the
state youth services and technical education
departments will tie up with two 'leading
US-based organisations' for technical
assistance.

The aim is to provide computer education to
'50,000 aspirants throughout the state'. The
first centre will open at Kankurgachhi in a
couple of months, said officials. 'Our plan is
to set up 54 centres in and around the city by
the end of the year. The charges will be
moderate and the quality of education will help
the youth get jobs,' said youth services
minister Manab Mukherjee.

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