Sanjay Kumar, Secretary in the Department of School Education and Literacy at the Union Ministry of Education, visited the North East Regional Institute of Education (NERIE), Shillong.
He was joined by Prof Dinesh Prasad Saklani, Director of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
Secretary to Meghalaya’s Department of Education, Swapnil Tembe, appreciated NERIE’s contributions towards teacher capacity building and infrastructure development. He also shared the state government’s proposed initiatives, including the rationalisation of schools to improve the quality of education.
Saklani highlighted NCERT’s achievements in school education and outlined the vision for enhancing the quality of teacher education in the region through NERIE. He further spoke on the urgent need to expand infrastructural facilities at NERIE to enable the institute to fully meet the growing educational demands of the region. He expressed his strong desire to see NERIE equipped with adequate land and facilities so that it can function at par with other regional institutes of education.
In his address, Kumar emphasised that the primary mission of the central government department is to ensure that no child is left out of school. He stressed that mere attendance is not sufficient but that ensuring foundational learning outcomes is vital. He also underlined the importance of education in shaping students into critical thinkers who contribute meaningfully to society.
Kumar appreciated NERIE’s efforts in teacher education and urged the institute to increase its BEd intake and initiate the four-year integrated teacher education programme (ITEP). He advocated for the establishment of a Demonstration Multipurpose School (DMS) at NERIE, as is available in other regional institutes of education. He also emphasised the introduction of vocational education from Class 6 onwards and the need to strengthen NERIE’s engagement with the state governments of the North East.
Kumar appealed to the Meghalaya government to provide land for the expansion of NERIE’s infrastructure. He stated that in order to meet the objectives of NEP 2020, it is essential to enhance the institutional capacity for preparing a larger number of professionally trained teachers in the region.
The dignitaries also inaugurated the newly constructed Kanaklata girls’ hostel and the NERIE guesthouse.
