YINGKIONG, 18 Oct: Education Minister PD Sona, who is on a tour here in Upper Subansiri district as a follow-up to the ‘chintan shivir-cum-education conclave’, called for collective effort from PRI leaders, NGOs and CBOs to start inter-village schools in the state.
Accompanied by his adviser Mutchu Mithi, the chief minister’s adviser Alo Libang, Mariyang MLA Oni Panyang, and government officials, Sona on Friday said that his visit to Upper Siang district “is to understand the ground reality of existing government-run schools, so that proper clubbing of schools can be carried out on priority basis across the state.”
“For the bright future of the students, we need to take it to a logical conclusion,” said Sona. “The stategovernment does have an education system, but there should be a new system to accomplish the set target,”he added.
Expressing concern over the dilapidated condition of various schools in the state, he asserted that clubbing of schools would directly resolve the grievances of any government school.
While inspecting government schools, such as the government higher secondary school and the government upper primary school in Daggong, the government town secondary school and the government secondary school in Parsing, and the Early Childhood Care and Education Centre, the minister assured to “strengthen the vocational pattern of teaching in the days to come.”
He emphasised on imparting quality education and proper coordination among the teachers, school management committees and other local bodies.
“Teachers should not remain absent from their respective posting places and provide quality education, so that students may understand the fundamental concepts of education,” he said.
As the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalaya, established in the 2010, has been functioning without a midday meal shed, Sona assured to establish a shed at the school, and to provide social welfare schemes to the other schools.
Libang expressed solidarity with the idea of establishing inter-village schools and said that education is the only key which can unlock any kind of lock.
“It may take time for the introduction of inter-village schools in the state, but I will definitely make sure that it is implemented in my district,” said Libang.
“The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan scheme has tarnished the reputation of schools in the state; however, with the support of the state government, the same will be restored,” he added.
Stressing on changing the education system, Mithi in his address said that “today guest faculty teachers are discharging better service than regular teachers.”
“Supporting the clubbing of inter-village schools, I have already closed down the Hunli government secondary school in Lower Dibang Valley district,” informed Mithi.
Zero-enrollment schools should be closed down as per the notification of the department concerned, he added.
Earlier, Deputy Director of School Education Duhon Tekseng submitted a memorandum to the minister, seeking creation of posts of an upper division clerk and a lower division clerk, establishment of a conference hall for the education department, posting of subject teachers, construction of teachers’ quarters, establishment of science stream at the government higher secondary school in Mariyang, and providing a government vehicle for Yingkiong’s education department, among other things.
