New Delhi, Dec 17 (AHN) A meeting was held on Wednesday at Parliament House between Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan to deliberate on strengthening higher and school education in the Kota-Bundi region of Rajasthan.

The meeting witnessed detailed and constructive discussions on the expansion of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Kota, and comprehensive reforms to improve the quality of school education in the region.

Highlighting Kota’s stature as one of India’s foremost education hubs, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that nearly 1.5 lakh students from across the country come to Kota every year to prepare for engineering and medical entrance examinations.

With robust road and rail connectivity and improving air connectivity, he emphasised that upgrading IIIT Kota on the lines of premier IITs is the need of the hour.

Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan announced that a long-term plan will be prepared to increase the student capacity of IIIT Kota to 25,000 seats over the next 10 years.

The plan includes comprehensive institutional development, establishment of Centres of Excellence, and the introduction of contemporary and future-ready academic programmes.

The Minister outlined key focus areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Green Energy, futuristic technologies aligned with global employment needs, AI research centres, pump storage technology, and atomic studies.

He noted that the Chambal River region’s natural resources and the presence of the Rawatbhata Atomic Power Plant make Kota highly suitable for technical and energy-based education.

In view of these strengths, IIIT Kota is proposed to be developed as a model IIIT of the country, positioning Kota as a national hub for higher education and technology.

To expedite the process, the Union Education Minister directed the formation of a special committee, which will submit its recommendations within one month.

Om Birla also raised the issue of improving school education standards in the Kota–Bundi parliamentary constituency. He stressed the wide implementation of the ‘Know Your Constitution’ programme in schools to inculcate constitutional values among students.

He further suggested encouraging meritorious students from across the country to visit Parliament through competitive selection, to enhance their understanding of democratic institutions.

The meeting also covered key issues such as increasing the number of PM Shri Schools in Kota-Bundi, enhancing central assistance for Rajasthan’s education budget, and expanding access to quality education.

Senior officials, including Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy; Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education; Rahul Singh, Chairman, CBSE; Prof. N. P. Padhi, Director, IIIT Kota; along with senior officers from the Rajasthan Education Department. Officials from the Lok Sabha Secretariat were also present.