Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday felicitated the State-level meritorious students
under the Golden Jubilee Meritorious Students Awards for the academic session 2024-25,
calling upon the young achievers to remain disciplined, focused and committed to excellence
as they prepare to shoulder the responsibility of Arunachal Pradesh’s future.
Addressing the awards ceremony in Itanagar, attended by Education Minister P D
Sona, Advisor to Education Minister 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 Classes III to XII were felicitated at the ceremony, while around 840 students have 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 implementation of NEP 2020, followed by
extensive consultations with community-based organisations and other stakeholders.
Education officials, including the Minister, Advisor, Secretary, Director and DDSEs, have
also undertaken district-level consultations, following which a comprehensive roadmap has
been prepared.
The Government, he said, 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.
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 was 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 Pradesh’s tribal traditions, he urged 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 youth to join the Armed Forces as officers.
He highlighted the establishment of the State’s first Sainik School at Pasighat in
collaboration with the Government of India and the second Sainik School at Tawang under
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 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 XII, has already
benefited Arunachali students, with around 13-14 students receiving the opportunity this year.
Sharing his personal experience, Khandu said he was himself a product of the
government school system and therefore understood 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.
