Fifty-five students from across Sikkim have been selected to undergo higher education in reputed public schools in and outside the State under the Chief Minister’s Meritorious Scholarship Scheme for year 2020-21.
Selected students accompanied by their parents attended the counseling-cum-allotment session organized by State Education Department here at Chintan Bhawan on Thursday.
The programme was chaired by chief minister Prem Singh Tamang as the chief guest.
In his address, the chief minister congratulated the selected students and their parents and teachers for the progressive outcome and also thanked the State Education department for their effort.
He said the State Government launched CMMSS with an aim to provide free education to talented and deserving children from underprivileged family with an opportunity to study in reputed public schools both within and outside the State.
He stressed that 55 students have been selected this year instead of 50 students, which includes five students from the indigenous Lepcha community from Dzongu in North Sikkim, as a special encouragement to them.
Till date, 884 students of Sikkim have been taking benefit of CMMSS.
CMMSS has been applauded nationwide because of its successful implementation and result.
Lauded as one among the many innovative schemes of the state government, this educational scheme has been able to benefit the economically underprivileged children, the chief minister said.
He highlighted on the future policies and programmes of the government to impart quality education and informed that four schools from all the four districts should be converted into model schools of the State with best of the teachers, good quality infrastructure, etc.
Addressing the principles and headmaster/headmistress in the audience, he assured to send them for educational training to foreign countries and within the nation in the days to come.
He urged the Education department to arrange an annual exposure tour programmes for students.
He also mentioned about the anti-drugs counselling fund separated by the department which will be utilized by the schools, and UPSC coaching camp to be organized at Nar Bahadur Bhandari Degree College from this year onwards.
Likewise, education minister Kunga Nima Lepcha spoke about the CMMSS and emphasized on the importance of the scheme.
He said that besides converting the desire and dream of the students from poor family into reality, this meritorious scholarship scheme will increase quality of primary education and generate the sense of competition among students from the primary level.
This scheme will also encourage the teachers and aware the guardian towards the academic performance of their children.