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.