Arunachal Pradesh's education minister bats for merging schools with low enrolment

ITANAGAR: Merging state-run schools with low enrolment will solve most of the problems in the public education system, Arunachal Pradesh's Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona said. The minister, who is on a tour to review the follow-up of the 'Chintan Shivir', said the merging of schools should be done as per the availability of infrastructure, land and accessibility to basic amenities through a pragmatic approach.

"Our vision is to provide quality education to every child from elementary level itself by clubbing and merging primary level schools, and provide quality infrastructure and better human resources, besides other interventions," Sona said on Friday while visiting Yingkiong, the headquarters of the Upper Siang district. The Education Department conducted a three-day 'Chintan Shivir' in August. During the meeting, stakeholders discussed strategies for providing quality education to every child in the state.

"We started a mission to reach out to people in every district of the state and know their ideas and ground situations so that there is no hindrance during the implementation of the programmes," Sona said. He said the clubbing of schools needs to be taken up on a mission mode for the brighter future of the students. Advisor to the Education Minister Mutchu Mithi said that instead of quantity the focus is on improving the quality of education in the state. Upper Siang's Deputy Director of School Education Duhon Tekseng, in a representation to the minister, sought more teachers, science stream for Mariyang Government Higher Secondary School, renovation of schools and teachers' quarters.

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Sona had in July told the assembly that over 600 schools have been closed down or merged with other schools in the state. Arunachal Pradesh has over 2,800 government-run lower primary, upper primary, secondary and higher secondary schools. There are over 7,600 regular teachers and more than 5,900 ISSE (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan teachers). There is a shortage of 414 trained graduate teachers (TGTs), and 186 PGTs in the state, including in Maths and Science, officials said.