OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Sunday announced major education reforms, including full scholarships for tribal students of the state admitted to IITs, top global universities, and pilot or merchant navy training programmes.
He also announced the approval of two new departments for Dera Natung Government College (DNGC) in Itanagar, along with plans to establish a second college in the capital region to ease the pressure on the state’s oldest higher education institution.
Speaking at the inauguration of the annual college week celebration of DNGC, Khandu said the government would provide 100% scholarships to APST youth gaining admission into undergraduate courses in IITs, as well as to those securing seats in the world’s top 150 universities as per QS Rankings.
Additionally, he said the government would extend 75% scholarships for commercial pilot licence training and support 10 aspiring youths annually in obtaining merchant navy certification, according to an official statement.
Acknowledging that DNGC had been operating beyond its capacity, Khandu stressed the need for another college in the Itanagar Capital Region. He directed the local legislator and deputy commissioner to identify a suitable site so that the establishment of the new college could begin at the earliest.
The Chief Minister also announced that two new departments — Sociology and Mass Communication — had been approved for DNGC in addition to the existing 14.
He assured that classrooms would be constructed immediately to ensure that the departments start functioning from the next academic session.
Highlighting ongoing development projects, Khandu said major works were underway, including a new administrative block, a 300-bed boys’ hostel, a 100-bed girls’ hostel, a prefabricated badminton court-cum-judo-karate hall, and a Siddharth community hall with a seating capacity of 1,200.
He further assured that sanction for the college’s compound wall would be granted soon.
Appreciating the college’s pioneering adoption of the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Khandu lauded the institution for implementing the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) under Rajiv Gandhi University.
From the next academic session, DNGC would offer four-year undergraduate degrees with honours or research, allowing students to progress directly to PhD programmes.
He commended the faculty led by Principal Dr M. Q. Khan, noting that half of the teachers held doctoral degrees, and praised the college for fostering research, innovation, and critical thinking.
Khandu also highlighted youth-oriented initiatives such as the Arunachal Pradesh Entrepreneurship Development Programme (APEDP), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Swavalamban Yojana, Atmanirbhar Arunachal, and the Chief Minister’s Talent Hunt and Youth Engagement programmes.
“The State Youth Policy 2025 sets nine youth development goals, including education, employment, entrepreneurship, sports, and civic engagement,” he said.
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