Itanagar, Sep 10 (IANS): Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Pema Khandu, on Thursday said the state government is undertaking comprehensive reforms in the education sector to restore the quality and effectiveness of government schools by implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Mission Shikshit Arunachal, with a target of achieving its objectives by 2029.
Felicitating the state-level meritorious students under the Golden Jubilee Meritorious Students Awards for the academic session 2024-25, the Chief Minister said a task force was constituted for implementation of NEP 2020, followed by extensive consultations with community-based organisations and other stakeholders.
Khandu said that the government is rationalising the number of schools and moving towards strengthening the Inter-Village (IV) school model, with greater emphasis on infrastructure and adequate availability of teachers, particularly subject teachers.
He also noted the encouraging rise in enrolment in government schools in recent years, saying the trend was particularly significant at a time when declining government school enrolment remains a challenge across the country.
The Chief Minister called upon the young achievers to remain disciplined, focussed and committed to excellence as they prepare to shoulder the responsibility of Arunachal Pradesh’s future.
A total of 30 state-level toppers from Classes III to XII were felicitated at the ceremony, while around 840 students received the award at various district levels.
The Golden Jubilee Meritorious Students Award was instituted in 2022, the year Arunachal Pradesh celebrated 50 years since it was named Arunachal Pradesh in 1972, and its implementation began from the academic year 2023-24.
Referring to Arunachal Pradesh’s tribal traditions, the Chief Minister urged students to preserve the culture of respecting parents, elders, teachers and all members of the school community.
He stressed that sports should receive equal importance alongside academics for the overall development of young people, noting that playgrounds have been provided in government schools across the State.
Khandu said the State has created multiple avenues for young people to pursue careers in government service, the private sector, entrepreneurship, startups and other emerging fields.
The Chief Minister said the state government has been creating opportunities to encourage more Arunachali youth to join the Armed Forces as officers.
He highlighted the establishment of the State’s first Sainik School at Pasighat in collaboration with the Government of India and the second Sainik School at Tawang under the PPP mode.
Khandu said the Government is also working with the Army to establish a structured coaching mechanism through which selected Arunachal students would receive specialised preparation for competitive examinations such as NDA and CDS.
The proposed initiative would help young people pursue careers as officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Central Armed Police Forces, including SSB, ITBP, CRPF and BSF.
Highlighting the state government’s efforts to provide global exposure to Arunachal’s students, Khandu said the State is supporting students who secure admission to universities ranked among the top 150 globally under QS rankings.
The award ceremony in Itanagar was attended by Education Minister P.D. Sona, Advisor to Education Minister Mutchu Mithi, senior officials of the Education Department, teachers, students and parents.
