Itanagar : Arunachal Pradesh Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona has proposed merging state-run schools with low enrolment to address key challenges in the public education system. He emphasized that consolidating schools would enhance the quality of education and improve the allocation of resources.

During his visit to Yingkiong, the headquarters of Upper Siang district, as part of a tour to review the outcomes of the ‘Chintan Shivir’, Sona said the mergers should be based on available infrastructure, land, and access to basic amenities. The objective is to provide better education and facilities from the primary level.

“Our vision is to offer quality education to every child from the elementary level by merging schools, which will enable us to provide superior infrastructure, better human resources, and other interventions,” Sona stated.

The Education Department held a three-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ in August, where various stakeholders discussed strategies for ensuring quality education for all students in the state. Sona mentioned that the government is on a mission to understand the on-ground realities in every district to ensure smooth implementation of educational reforms.

He stressed the need for this mission-mode approach, which would create a brighter future for students. Mutchu Mithi, Advisor to the Education Minister, reiterated that the focus is shifting from the number of schools to improving the overall quality of education.

During the visit, Upper Siang’s Deputy Director of School Education, Duhon Tekseng, requested more teachers, the introduction of a science stream at Mariyang Government Higher Secondary School, and the renovation of school buildings and teacher quarters.

In July, Sona informed the state assembly that over 600 schools have already been closed or merged in recent years. Currently, Arunachal Pradesh has over 2,800 government schools at various levels and employs more than 7,600 regular teachers and 5,900 teachers under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (ISSE). However, there remains a shortage of trained graduate teachers (TGTs) and postgraduate teachers (PGTs), particularly in math and science subjects, with a deficit of 414 TGTs and 186 PGTs.

Click Here for More Latest News