Political Will Key to Education Reforms: Passang Dorjee Sona

Our correspondent

Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Education Minister Passang Dorjee Sona on Friday informed the assembly that the state government is focusing on strengthening elementary education to improve the state's overall education scenario.

Sona, who tabled the report on the 'Roadmap of Education Scenario of the state' under the government's 'Mission Shikshit Arunachal 2029', in the assembly on Thursday, was responding to discussions and suggestions from members across party lines.

Highlighting the state's dismal education performance, Sona urged cooperation from all members to achieve the mission's goals by 2029.

"What we lack is political will. We must take decisive action to improve our education system. Help the government by not interfering in the transfer and postings of teachers. Initial challenges will be addressed over time," he stated.

The minister explained that the roadmap is an effort to bring the education department back on track after years of stagnation, mainly due to foundational weaknesses at the elementary level.

"We visited each district to assess challenges before preparing this report. We were transparent about our limitations. The three-year deadline is set to ensure we work in a mission-driven approach," he said.

The education department had organized a three-day 'Chintan Shivir-cum-Education Conclave' in August last year, bringing together key stakeholders such as teachers, student unions, school management committees, NGOs, community organizations, government officials, and elected representatives.

The conclave focused on identifying challenges and building consensus on solutions aligned with the state's educational vision.

"Following the conclave, an educational tour was conducted across districts between September and October last year to facilitate school consolidation proposals. This tour aimed to ensure clear communication of the vision and alignment with district-level stakeholders," Sona stated.

He emphasized that reformative initiatives and a mission-driven approach are necessary to create a future-ready education system that ensures quality learning for every child. Achieving this goal requires continuous cooperation and collaboration across all levels of the education department.

"In line with this vision, we developed 'Mission Shikshit Arunachal 2029' to drive transformative change in education," he added.

The roadmap is built on four key pillars of reform, supported by a four-tier governance mechanism at district and state levels to enhance governance.

The pillars include strengthening competency-based learning, enhancing teacher and system officials' capacity, improving educational infrastructure, and optimizing human resources. The governance mechanism ensures regular review and tracking of initiatives under these pillars.

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