Agartala, Feb 6 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday said that the main objective of the state government is to formulate various policies and programs to ensure quality education in the state.
After inaugurating the state-level ‘Teaching Learning Material (TLM)’ competition-cum-exhibition at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan here, the Chief Minister said that teachers would have to work to strengthen the foundation of the students from an early age.
The main objective of the state government is to formulate various policies and programmes to ensure quality education in educational institutions, he said adding that providing loans and scholarships to deserving students is also one of the objectives of the education sector.
“If the foundation is not strong during the construction of a building, it cannot rise to the top. Similarly, the foundation of children should be strengthened from childhood.” Saha, who also holds the Education portfolio, stressed making the availability of learning materials at a low cost for the students, especially for the poor students.
He added Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formulated the National Education Policy to improve the education system and the National Education Policy includes a system for making availability of teaching-learning materials.
The Chief Minister said that Modi has repeatedly said that in the future, the country or the world would be in the hands of those who have knowledge.
“Nothing is possible without knowledge. It is not possible to move forward if the foundation is weak. The Education Department has taken the initiative to identify and address the gaps where we did not have the opportunity or proper management earlier,” he said.
Saha stated that the target has been set to achieve basic literacy skills by 2026-27.
“The Nipun Mission was launched nationwide on July 5, 2021. Nipun Tripura was launched in the state on November 18, 2022. And we are now seeing the results of that initiative. Our goal is that all schools should produce good results, and the government is working in that direction. In a small state like Tripura, about 150 lakh students fall within the target age group of the Nipun Mission, with around 12,000 teachers involved in its implementation. These teachers are being trained accordingly,” said Saha.
He informed that there are 4,227 government and government-aided schools under the Nipun Tripura Mission.
Over 10,180 teachers and approximately 90,000 students from pre-primary to second grade are being covered with the initiatives of Nipun Tripura, the Chief Minister said.
He said that teachers have played a crucial role in the success of Nipun Tripura and they are the main driving force behind this mission. Schools from different districts participated in this exhibition today, and everyone tried to perform exceptionally well.
He noted that it is very encouraging when young children complete their tasks using worksheets, as it provides teachers with a sense of satisfaction.
–IANS
sc/dan