Claiming that his government has rapidly expanded

access to education, the Prime Minister said UPA government has worked to improve the quality of teaching to enable better learning outcomes. "We have endeavoured to ensure that students from weaker sections of society and the less developed regions of our country also get access to educational opportunities," Singh said. He also lauded KVS for discharging its responsibility with "great distinction", saying its journey of 50 years has been a very rewarding one and it has contributed handsomely to the process of nation building. The Prime Minister noted with happiness that the proportion of girl students in KVs is 43 percent and that women constitute the majority among teachers. He also chose the occasion to point out that beginning with 20 Regimental schools at the time of its establishment in 1963, KVS now administers about 1100 Kendriya Vidyalayas, spread over all parts of the country and that it imparts education to about 11 lakh children and employs more than 46000 people. "It must be a very heartening thought for all those associated with the KVS that there is tremendous demand for additional Kendriya Vidyalayas in different parts of our country... This is a pointer to the high standards of teaching that the KVS system has maintained," he said. He noted that KVS has taken a number of new initiatives to keep pace with the rapidly changing realities like the use of Information Technology in imparting education, exchange programmes for teachers and students with foreign countries and teaching of foreign languages. At the same stressed, Singh stressed that "much more needs to be done as KVS strives towards excellence. I would expect KVS to embrace change boldly wherever it is needed, particularly in the use of modern techniques and technology."