Chennai, mar 14 (Reporter)The Tamil Nadu government announced a slew of measures to boost Higher education in the State including drawing a road map to make the prestigious Anna University among the top 10 in the country and among the top 150 in global QS ranking in five years to position it among the premier institutions in Asia, besides setting up new Arts and Science colleges in 10 districts and a grand Chennai Science Centre in collaboration with Singapore. Presenting the Budget for the year 2025-26 in the State Assembly, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu on Friday. said the journey of the College of Engineering, Guindy has a long history, beginning from the Madras School of Survey, which was started 231 years ago (1794) with 12 students to fulfill the need of training the natives to survey the Coromandel Coast for the British East India Company, to becoming an Engineering College in 1859. Anna University, which has been functioning for the past 47 years, stands as one of the premier educational institutions in the country. A roadmap will be drawn up to make Anna University - considered the dream destination for students of Tamil Nadu to pursue technology as their career - among the top 10 institutions in the country and top 150 in the global QS rankings, within the next five years. Under this initiative, smart classrooms, state-of-the-art technology labs, new research and development centres, start-up parks, and virtual labs will be established with the support of leading technology companies, he said. To enhance the learning and teaching experience, leading technical experts and foreign professors will be engaged in special short-term research programs of up to three months. New schemes will be introduced to strengthen the research of PhD and post-doctoral students. Selected students will be given the opportunity to pursue co-curricular courses in collaboration with the world’s top universities. With modern hostels, a conducive sports environment to nurture elite athletes, and a green space where all living beings peacefully coexist, the DMK Government will take all necessary steps to position Anna University among the premier institutions in Asia. To turn this vision into reality, various initiatives will be undertaken over the next five years with contributions from the Government, university funds, alumni, and industry, at an estimated cost of Rs.500 crore. To mitigate the fiscal constraints faced by State Universities, block grant will be enhanced to Rs.700 crore. Further, to enhance academic performance, strengthen research and development, provide continuous teacher training, modernize the curricula, reform the examination system and administration in State universities across Tamil Nadu, a dedicated corpus fund of Rs.200 crore will be established...////...