Our vision is to offer quality education — Neiphiu Rio

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 7 (EMN): Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Monday said that Nagaland is ‘lagging behind in many ways but most of all in education’.

Against this scenario, he said, the state government’s vision and dream is to provide quality education.

Rio was addressing the ‘foundation stone laying programme’ for the Professional College of Music and Fine Arts at Tsiesema village in Kohima district.

He stated that sending children to school and colleges incurs high expenditure and ‘good schools, good colleges are mostly outside the state, which is draining out our economy’.

The chief minister maintained that having world-class centres of excellence, professional colleges, model colleges and other institutions in the state would allow students to excel.

“They are second to none and that opportunity is lacking,” he added.

Rio expressed hope that with the laying of the foundation stone for a professional college of Music and Fine Arts, which would be under Nagaland University (NU), Nagaland state will be able to provide world-class higher education, and added that it is a blessing for the youth of the state as well as the Northeast.

While appreciating the efforts of the minister-in-charge and department concerned for the successful implementation of Rusa 1.0 and Rusa 2.0, he maintained that more professional colleges are to be sanctioned to the state.

Rio also stressed on the need to mastering in one's profession, to have confidence and the trust of the people, and stated that ‘formal education is required’.

“We all cook and eat, we all sing, we all dance but there’s a formula to eat and that should be taught, that should be learned,” added Rio.

The chief minister further stated that ‘all our music, fine arts, dances, dramas, culture needs to be studied minutely’.

He added that having a professional college in the land of festivals—a professional college of music and fine arts, drama and culture, would enhance the performance of the people.

Such institutions would make ‘a difference in the Hornbill Festival and it will be more lively, thus attracting more people to come into the state to learn music and fine arts, culture and dramas,’ he said.

He appreciated the people of Tsiesema village for giving the land for development.

The chief minister expressed hope that the Hornbill Festival, which has become an international fete, will become more popular with new developments.

Rio also urged the executing department and stakeholders for timely completion of the project to make it functional for the future of the youth, musicians and artists.

More colleges in the state

The minister for Higher and Technical Education, and Tribal Affairs, Temjen Imna Along, who also spoke at the event, expressed gratitude to the chief minister for his support towards the endeavour.

The minister mentioned that the College of Music and Arts is the last project to be laid under Rusa 2.0. He acknowledged the department officials and the minister for Planning and Coordination, Neiba Kronu, for the timely release of the state’s share for the completion of Rusa 1.0 and Rusa 2.0 that is in the process of implementation.

The minister also reiterated that the department is vying for more professional colleges in Kohima, Dimapur and Wokha and model colleges in places like Tseminyu, Noklak and Mankonglemba. He maintained that it is anticipating a positive response from the union ministry.

Overview of the college

Meanwhile, the commissioner and secretary for Higher and Technical Education, Imjung M Panger, presented an overview of the Professional College of Music and Fine Arts.

He stated that Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (Rusa) is a centrally-sponsored scheme launched in 2013 under the Ministry of Education, previously known as Human Resource Development.

He informed that the second phase of Rusa started in May 2018 with the department implementing 10 new projects, including the Professional College of Music and Fine Arts. He said the college at Tsiesema in Kohima district was approved in the 16th Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting of Rusa on September 2, 2019 and added that approved total cost of the project is INR 26 crore in the funding ratio of 90:10. The government of India had already sanctioned INR 11.7 crore.

The official stated that the government had envisioned to create a centre of excellence in the field of music and fine arts ‘of national and international standard’ and to provide a platform for furtherance of indigenous culture wherein an area of 9.5 acres of land was acquired for the establishment of the college.

He informed that the area will house an administrative block with classrooms, staff rooms, recording studios, exhibition rooms, performance hall, library, store rooms and others.

The project is targeted to be completed in 2023 and will offer diploma and undergraduate degree courses in fine arts and music.