March 29: The B.K. Birla Group has established an elite school, the Sarala Birla Gyan Jyoti, in the capital. The school was inaugurated at Amingaon today.

Principal of the school, Father Menenzes, a former principal of Calcutta’s St James School, said the institute would have quality interactive computer-based courses with the Schoolnet Software designed by the Infrastructure Living and Financial Services.

The other facilities of the school include TVs in classrooms, Italian furniture, computers, well-equipped laboratories and others.

The principal said altogether 25 teachers had been recruited locally and all of them were well trained in the Schoolnet Software.

The institute, which has academician D.. Buragohain in its managing committee, has started with 450 students upto Class V. It is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

The Birla group has plans to extend the school upto Class XII in three years.

This is the first time that the Birla group, which owns Assam’s third largest tea producing company, Jayshree Tea, has invested in the education sector in the state. The Birla group has 52 educational institutes across the country.

Inaugurating the school, Assam planning and development minister Himanta Biswa Sarma appealed to the Birla group to set up an engineering institute in the state.

The minister said as the law and order situation in the state had improved, companies like the Birla group should invest further in the state.

Appreciating the group for investing in the education sector, Sarma said the government would provide all possible help towards promotion of education if the Birla group was interested in other investment. He also lauded Larsen and Toubro for constructing the Rs 10-crore four-storey school building within a year.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Jayshree Birla of the Birla group thanked the Assam government for the support by allotting a 15-bigha plot for the school and requested Dispur for more allotments to extend the school.

She also urged the government to upgrade the roads near to the school, which is located in Amingaon near the proposed Rajiv Gandhi sports complex along the North Bank of the Brahmaputra.

In his address, North Eastern Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi) chairman-cum-managing director J.P. Rajkhowa praised Jayshree Tea for responding positively to the NEDFi’s proposal for the investment.

Rajkhowa also made special mention of NEDFi assistant general manager S.K. Mahanta for the presentation he had placed before the company, which was duly honoured by the Birla group.

Rajkhowa assured the Birla group of more help to improve educational infrastructure in the region.

He also echoed Sarma’s views that the situation in the state was conducive to setting up more educational, especially technical institutions.

He said another technical institute in the state would be a great help to the meritorious students in the state.