Dimapur, Feb. 9 (EMN): Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has assured to write to his NE counterparts, seeking their united effort towards availing Defence ministry aid to Sainik schools in the region.
According to a DIPR report on Sunday, Manipur education’s minister, Dr. Th Radheshyam called on the chief minister, in Kohima on February 8, urging the latter ‘to bring all the Education ministers of the Northeast states to collectively work out a modality to impress upon the Union Minister of Defence to extend financial assistance to the Sainik Schools of the region’.
Radheshyam was accompanied by Kevisa Kense, former president of Old Boys’ Association of Sainik School Imphal (OBASSI) and N Ibungouchoubi, former President of Sainik School Imphal Alumni Association (SSIAA).
“Being small states with limited resources, the Sainik schools in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram are facing grave difficulties in managing the schools”, he said.
Rio, it stated, ‘endorsed the genuine problems of all the Sainik schools in the region’, and stressed on the need for all Education ministers to come together and work out a modality to make a representation to the Union Minister of Defence “to give a onetime grant to develop the infrastructure and own up the responsibilities of Sainik schools”.
“The Union Minister of Defence should be happy to take care of the Sainik schools under its ministry. I will write to all the chief ministers of the Northeast states to support the initiative taken up by Dr. Radheshyam,” Rio said.
Education minister of Nagaland, T Sukalu, who also attended the meeting, stated that there are many common issues of education in the region; and the collective efforts of all the Education ministers would “be of great importance in developing the educational institutions and research institutes”.
