CM felicitates meritorious students

ITANAGAR, 10 Sep: Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday felicitated the state-level meritorious students under the Golden Jubilee Meritorious Students Awards programme for the academic session 2024-25, and called upon the young achievers to remain disciplined, focused and committed to excellence as they prepare to shoulder the responsibility of Arunachal Pradesh' future.

Addressing the award ceremony here, which was attended also by Education Minister PD Sona, the minister's adviser and MLA Mutchu Mithi, senior officials of the Education Department, teachers, students and parents, Khandu congratulated the awardees, and appreciated the support extended by their parents, families, teachers and friends in their academic journey.

A total of 30 state-level toppers from Class 3 to 12 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. The 2024-25 edition is the second state-level ceremony, while the 2025-26 edition is also scheduled to be conducted during the current year.

Highlighting the ongoing reforms in the education sector, the chief minister said the state government has been working to restore the "quality and effectiveness of government schools" by implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the state's Mission Shikshit Arunachal, with a target of achieving its objectives by 2029.

He said a task force was constituted for the implementation of NEP 2020, followed by extensive consultations with community-based organisations and other stakeholders. Education officials, including Sona, Mithi, secretary, director and DDSEs, have also undertaken district-level consultations, following which a comprehensive roadmap has been prepared.

"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," the CM said.

Khandu said significant recruitment of subject teachers through the state's public service commission has already been undertaken to strengthen government schools.

He also noted the encouraging rise in enrolment in government schools in recent years, saying "the trend is particularly significant at a time when declining government-school enrolment remains a challenge across the country."

The chief minister emphasised that discipline, respect for elders and teachers, academic excellence and physical fitness must go together.

Referring to Arunachal's tribal traditions, he urged the 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.

He cited the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board, APPSC, UPSC and multinational companies as avenues for employment and professional growth, while encouraging students to also consider entrepreneurship and business.

The chief minister said the state government has been creating opportunities to encourage more Arunachali youths to join the armed forces as officers.

He highlighted the establishment of the state's first Sainik School in Pasighat in collaboration with the Government of India, and the second Sainik School in 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 the 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.

He said the scholarship initiative, being implemented for students after Class 12, has already benefited Arunachali students, with around 13-14 students receiving the opportunity this year.

Sharing his personal experience, Khandu said he is himself a product of the government school system and therefore understands the challenges and ecosystem of government schools.

He recalled studying at the Government Gompa Middle School in Tawang, where he was part of the first batch after the school was upgraded to a secondary school. (CM's PR Cell)