New education project for Chandigarh children
CHANDIGARH: The Chandigarh Administration has approved a project aimed at providing a channel for free college education to underprivileged children, specially girls living in slum areas, under a Partnership Agreement with the Don Bosco Navjeevan Centre here.

An official spokesman said here on November 6 that a memorandum of understanding was signed by Raji P. Shrivastava, Director of Higher Education, on behalf of the Chandigarh Administration, and Sebastian Jose, Director of Don Bosco Navjeevan Centre.

The project is aimed at providing better avenues of free higher education and learning to slum children, said Ms. Shrivastava. The Union Government had already launched such a facility under “Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan” for primary and secondary classes but there was no channel for providing such a facility for higher education.

The project will be financially supported by the Administration initially for the academic session 2007-08. The beneficiaries and participants will be identified by the Don Bosco Navjeevan Centre. The Education Department of the Chandigarh Administration will provide for the payment of actual examination fees, books and learning material for the exact number of students taking coaching and appearing for the B.A.-Part I examination through the Don Bosco Navjeevan Centre under this project during the academic session 2007-08.

The Principal of Government College, Sector 46, will be the Nodal Officer for this project.
Initially, 30 students identified for the current academic year will benefit from this initiative. More students will be given this opportunity from the next academic year onward.