PASIGHAT, 20 Nov: Third semester students of the education department of the Arunachal Pradesh University (APU) were taken to Anjaw district on a weeklong community engagement programme under the course ‘Engaging with community’ from 13 to 19 November.
The students reached some of India’s most remote and strategically significant villages, including Hawai, Hayuliang, Walong, Kibithoo, and Kaho – the easternmost village of the country.
The programme aimed to strengthen educational awareness, provide counselling, and build connections with communities living in the border regions.
Throughout the visit, the team interacted with villagers, elders, and gaon buras to understand livelihood patterns, challenges of living in a border region, and the cultural values that shape their communities.
Students conducted awareness sessions on the importance of education, made the locals aware of the provisions of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, environmental cleanliness, and general guidance for schoolchildren from Class 1-12.
The group visited schools across the district, beginning at headquarters Hawai, and continuing up to the Government Middle School, Kibithoo, where enrolment was found to be as low as 12 students.
Counselling sessions covered academic pathways, vocational options, higher education opportunities, and career planning. Teachers and headmasters commended the initiative, noting that such visits are rare in remote areas and help motivate local students by exposing them to university-level learners.
The programme received strong support from stakeholders. Sonemso Tamai of the Indian Army praised the effort, stating that development becomes meaningful when armed forces, civil society, and educational institutions work together.
Legal aid defence counsel Priya Pul lauded the initiative as “timely and much needed,” commending the APU for reaching distant border villages to provide educational exposure and guidance rarely available to students in such areas.
Reflecting on the initiative, Dr Moyong, who holds a PhD in the RTE Act, emphasised that “knowledge attains its true purpose only when it is used for the upliftment of society,” adding that awareness must reach even the last child in the last village.
He noted that if the effort inspires even one child to continue schooling or dream of higher education, “then we have served the real purpose of learning.”
The initiative was widely appreciated by villagers, school authorities, and local institutions, marking a significant step by the APU towards promoting educational awareness and strengthening community connections in remote border regions of the state.
