SORENG, : Chief Minister PS Golay on Tuesday maintained that the 13% budget
allocated by the State government this year for the education sector remained
the highest as compared to the budget sanctioned for other sectors. He further
informed that the State government aims to accomplish a 100% literacy rate by
2027 through comprehensive educational initiatives.
He
was addressing the students and public during the final day of golden jubilee
celebratory event of Sawali Gaon government secondary school under Soreng
district.
In
his address, the Chief Minister emphasised that it was possible to achieve 100%
literacy in Sikkim with the support and coordination from the Education
department, educators and the parents as well. “Our mission is to make Sikkim a
100% literate State by 2027 and the Education department, teachers and parents
have to play a larger role to accomplish the mission. The development of
education sector and making the sector easily accessible to each and every Sikkimese
remain the State government's priority,” he said.
Golay
shared that the literacy rate of Sikkim presently is 90.8% with the 93% male
and 88% female literacy rate. He added that with the holistic and effective
educational initiatives, achieving 100% literacy rate in Sikkim by 2027 was
possible.
The
Chief Minister also announced to introduce a pilot project called ‘Q&I’ from
this year in the government school across Sikkim for XI and XII students, eager
to pursue their higher education in engineering and medical sciences or wanted
to appear for competitive examinations.
The‘Q&I’are
similar to coaching classes designed for the students eager to crack
competitive entrance examinations such as JEE, NIIT, IIT and others.
Golay
maintained that introduction of the pilot educational project 'Q&I' in the
government school, which is costly, would facilitate the students to access the
facility even for the students coming from any financial background.
“Coaching
facilities like 'Q&I' are expensive and introducing such educational
initiatives in the school will enable each and every student to be the part of
the initiative free of cost. It will be helpful for the students coming from
poor backgrounds to gain from the 'Q&I' facility who cannot afford the
costly coaching facility,” he said.
He
announced that if 'Q&I' initiative becomes successful, then the State
government would extend such a facility to the students of class IX and X as
well.
The
Chief Minister reiterated that the State government has worked committedly and
comprehensively for the education sector’s growth and development. Effective
educational policies framed by the government have driven the sector on the
path of holistic development, he said. He called the educational facility in
Sikkim 'qualitative' and the best in the country and expressed that a healthy
1:9 teacher student ratio has been maintained to ensure a healthy educational
environment.
“There
is no dearth of school heads as under the previous SDF government. The present
State government has prioritized the deployment of the school heads as per the
needs in different schools across Sikkim,” said Golay. He shared that a fresh
interview for the school heads has been conducted very recently and the
selected teachers would fill up the vacant post of school heads wherever
needed.
Calling
the policy framed for the probationary teachers in the best interests of such
teachers, Golay appealed them not to seek transfers for the time being and expressed
that the schools especially of rural areas such as Karzi, Mangnam and others
would be without educators if the teachers serving in rural areas opt for
transfers.
The
Chief Minister directed the Education department to do the needful on the demands
placed by the school management committee which included construction of 6-roomed
school building and auditorium and renaming the school in the name of the land donor
Late Harka Bahadur Khati.
The
golden jubilee celebration also witnessed felicitation of the land donor’s
family and other individuals as an acknowledgement of their contributions in
the various fields of the society.
On
the occasion, the Chief Minister also unveiled the bust of land donor Late
Harka Bahadur Khati.
