Mangaluru: Pramod Madhawraj, Minister of State for Fisheries, Youth Services and Sports, said on Monday that the government was committed to providing better facilities in government schools.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the extension building of the Government Pre-University College on the Board High School premises, here. Earlier called the Board High School, it was then upgraded to Pre-University College in 1972. The Board High School was established in 1890.

The extension building was constructed at a cost of Rs. 1.7 lakh provided by Oscar Fernandes, Rajya Sabha member, from MP’s Local Area Development Fund. He is an alumnus of the Board High School.

Mr. Madhwaraj said that already the State government was providing midday meals, free uniforms, textbooks, shoes and socks to the students of government schools. The Government Pre-University College now had a new building. They did not have to sit and study in the old building. He said that the number of students getting admitted to the PU college which was inclusive of high school had increased.

Mr. Oscar Fernandes, who inaugurated the extension building and the website “www.boardhighschooludupi.in,” said that though Right to Education became a fundamental right about seven years ago. He had spoken to a few students in the high school and some of them wanted to write the civil services exams. Students should have higher goals and strive to achieve them, he said.

Dinesh Puthran, vice-president of the School Development and Management Committee, welcomed the gathering. Meenakshi Bannanje, president of Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC), B. Narasimhamurthy, chairman of Udupi Urban Development Authority, Veronica Carnelio, chairperson of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd., U. Damodar, vice-president of Alumni Association, and Diwaker Shetty, Deputy Director of Public Instruction, were present.