PAKYONG,: Chief Minister P.S. Golay today
inaugurated Chief Minister’s Model School (CMMS) at Assam Lingzay under Pakyong
district.
The inauguration ceremony had the presence
of Education minister Raju Basnet, Agriculture minister Puran Gurung, MLAs LB
Das and Pamin Lepcha, Pakyong zilla adhakshya, Chief Secretary R. Telang,
School Education secretary Tashi Chophel Lepcha, Higher Education secretary
Tshewang Gyasto Bhutia, Pakyong DC and SP, and chief education officers from
all six districts, along with officials from various departments.
In his address, the Chief Minister said,
“While there are many schools in Sikkim, this is the first of its kind where
every expense of the students such as uniforms, food and lodging is borne by
the government.”
The first batch consists of 59 students
(32 girls and 27 boys), selected through three tiers of examination phases.
He congratulated the parents for their
efforts in instilling discipline and hard work in their children, which enabled
them to earn the opportunity to study at this school. “This is the vision of
the present government,” he said. “Why shouldn’t we make our government schools
as good as private schools? It took the Education department five to six years
to address the shortcomings, and now we are seeing our students excel in exams
like NEET, JEE and other entrance tests.”
Within 40 days at CMMS, Assam Lingzay,
the 59 students have significantly improved their learning skills. “Now, Sikkim
no longer needs to hire people from outside the state to conduct programs and
activities, as our students are fully capable, as seen in their performance at
this school,” the Chief Minister said.
He credited the director of the school,
retired Colonel Ujjal Khatiwara for his leadership along with the teachers
selected through interviews to teach at the school. “Teachers here are
receiving an additional stipend of Rs. 20,000 for their performance,” he added.
"Until now, we were sending
students to various private schools across the state, but starting this year,
we are enrolling them in this school because we are capable of providing
quality education."
The Chief Minister continued, "We
must learn from private schools, where teachers earn less but perform better.
Our government schools have trained teachers, but enrolment is declining every
year, which led us to close 97 schools across the state. We encourage parents
to send their children to government schools, as all government schemes will be
available to students who graduate from these schools."
He explained that the director of the
school was chosen from the retired army because they bring discipline. "We
want our students to set an example and create history, so future students can
learn from them."
The Chief Minister also highlighted the
government's commitment to investing more in education, noting that a larger
budget has been allocated to the education department for this financial year.
"If anyone spreads negative news about this institute, I will not respond,
but I leave it to the parents and students to speak about the positivity of
this school, so its success can be shared with others," he said. "In
today’s world, negative news spreads more widely, but I urge everyone to share
the positive stories of this institution."
He emphasized that Sikkim is a model in
many sectors, including education. "We have achieved a 90.8 percent
literacy rate and target 100 percent literacy by 2027," he stated. "I
urge the department heads to submit a proposal to regularize probation teachers
after four years, which will help improve the education system."
The Chief Minister also encouraged the
people of Namcheybong to support the government in providing land for various
future projects.
He also spoke about several key
projects, including the ‘Unity Mall’ in Gangtok that will showcase traditions
and cultures from all Indian State. Additionally, at Ridge Park, a building
will be constructed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Sikkim’s State. Near
White Hall, an ‘Orchid House’ is under construction to display the state’s
orchids, Golay added. “Thanks to the Special Centre Assistance fund of Rs.
1,800 crores last year, we were able to pay off dues for these mega projects,
which were left unpaid by the previous government. We are also hoping to
receive another Rs. 2,800 crores in Special Centre Assistance to complete these
projects, which we hope will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister during his
visit in May," the Chief Minister said.
He also shared that the GST collected
from West Point (approximately Rs. 2 crores) will be used for various public
services. “Opposition leaders may only see the negatives, but we need to
improve our infrastructure to keep up with the needs of the day,” he added.
Golay also took a dig at opposition
leaders, urging them to connect with people on the ground level, not just on
social media. “Social media audiences do not win elections,” he stated. “If
that were the case, many Bollywood actors, who have large followings, would
have won elections.”
Education Minister Raju Basnet thanked
the Chief Minister for bringing the project to Namcheybong constituency. He
also expressed gratitude to the engineering cell and officers for completing
the project in a short time and praised the school director and teachers for
their disciplined approach to teaching.
