The new IIITs under the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT) are coming up at Basara in Adilabad district, Nuzived in Krishna district and Edupulapaya in Kadapa district.
Announcing this at a press conference here on Wednesday, Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy said the programme was aimed at encouraging rural talents. This year, 85 per cent seats had been filled through the 'mandal level selection' and the remaining through the state-wide merit selection process. The government would provide free education to SCs, STs and BCs and would facilitate other students with bank loans. Classes will start this August from temporary buildings, which are nearing completion.
The government has allotted Rs 320 crore for the IIITs this year, he said, adding faculty members are being trained at the IIIT, Hyderabad, the parent institute for the new schools. Of the 6,000 students selected this year, 86 per cent are from zilla parishad and other government-supported schools while only 13 per cent are from private schools.
Raj Reddy, professor at Carnegie Mellon University and RGUKT chancellor, said the residential course would have an intense curriculum. At the end of the course, students would get two degrees -- BTech in Information Technology and BTech in either construction engineering, automotive engineering, nanotechnology or energy technology, or BTech in IT and MSc in science (physics, chemistry and mathematics). Each student would be given a laptop as the teaching would extend beyond the classroom.
The pre-university course in the first two years will have contents equivalent to intermediate or Class XII. Students can exit after two years to join other courses or institutes. Apart from a soft skill session, which will be for the first two years, courses in humanities and social sciences for one-day, one-week and one-month form part of the schedule.
The tuition fee for the first two years would be Rs 6,000 and Rs 10,000 for the remaining four years. Boarding expenses will be about Rs 30,000 per year, according to Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education Chairman KC Reddy. RGUKT will also help students in getting placements.
