School Education Minister Dr. Vanlalthlana Meets Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

On 5th December 2024 (Ningani), School Education Minister Dr. Vanlalthlana met Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to discuss various initiatives and requirements of the School Education and Higher & Technical Education Departments of the Mizoram Government.

During the meeting, the School Education Minister highlighted the need to establish PM SHRI schools in Mizoram. The PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 through the selection of 14,500 schools nationwide, designed to act as models for other institutions. For Mizoram specifically, 30 schools have already been identified under this scheme.

Dr. Vanlalthlana, who also oversees Higher & Technical Education, brought up issues concerning Mizoram Engineering College. He provided clarification on why classes could not commence even five years after the inauguration by the Prime Minister. He briefed the Union Education Minister on the various efforts being made by the state government to address these challenges.

The Minister further discussed ongoing issues at the NIT, Lengpui campus, highlighting the state government’s challenges related to forest clearance, which has resulted in a penalty interest of ₹2.2 crore. He urged the Union Education Minister to intervene with the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change to expedite the resolution.

Additionally, the School Education Minister addressed matters related to teacher salaries under the Samagra Shiksha scheme. He emphasized the need to reduce the financial burden on the state government for implementing this centrally sponsored programme.

In their discussions, both ministers explored the establishment of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) labs in Mizoram schools under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. These labs are expected to be operational from the upcoming academic session.

The Mizoram Education Minister was accompanied by Pu David Lalthantluanga, Special Secretary, School Education Department, and Pu C. Lalthanzira, State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha.