Arunachal's education mission gets Rs 5,100-crore push by 2029

Arunachal Pradesh has invested over Rs 3,612 crore under the flagship “Shikshit Bharat to Shikshit Arunachal” mission to strengthen school infrastructure, improve teacher deployment and expand digital education initiatives across the state, officials said on Tuesday.

The state Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, reviewed the progress of the mission, under which the state has undertaken one of the most comprehensive education reform programmes in its history.

A senior official of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that during Phase‑I (2023‑2026), the government invested Rs 3,612.50 crore in strengthening school infrastructure, teacher deployment, digital education, institutional reforms, and improving learning outcomes across Arunachal Pradesh.

With the proposed Phase‑II investment of Rs 1,500 crore, the total investment under the mission is expected to exceed Rs 5,100 crore by 2029, the official added.

As part of the flagship mission, the school network was rationalised from 2,890 to 1,885 schools, enabling better teacher deployment and optimal utilisation of resources through 538 host schools.

The enactment of the Arunachal Pradesh Transfer and Posting Act, 2026, along with the implementation of the digital Teacher Registry Portal, resulted in more than 2,600 merit‑based teacher transfers, ensuring greater transparency and efficiency in personnel management.

Modern digital governance systems, including the Arunachal Vidya Nidhi (AVN) platform and the Vidya Sameeksha Kendra, were established to ensure real‑time monitoring of educational infrastructure, service delivery and institutional performance across the state.

Officials said significant improvement in academic performance has been achieved, with the CBSE Class X pass percentage increasing by 21.7 per cent and the Class XII pass percentage rising by 22.8 per cent, bringing Arunachal Pradesh close to the national average.

The mission also contributed to improvements in national educational rankings, with Arunachal Pradesh securing the 17th position in the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024. The state also recorded notable gains in the Performance Grading Index (PGI) and NITI Aayog Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) rankings.

Major infrastructure development works undertaken under the programme include the construction and upgradation of 50 Golden Jubilee Schools, 90 PM Shri Schools, more than 120 hostels, 152 science laboratories, 159 libraries, over 400 sanitation facilities, 300 PM Poshan kitchens and 180 staff quarters, with special emphasis on remote and border areas.

The government also recruited and deployed specialised teachers, including 150 Special Education Teachers, while extensive capacity‑building programmes benefited more than 7,000 stakeholders in the education sector.

Promotion of indigenous languages and cultural heritage was another key component of the mission, with the development and distribution of 75,100 textbooks in 10 tribal languages. Efforts were also made to strengthen Bhoti language education across the state.

The Cabinet noted that the mission has laid a strong foundation for a transformative, inclusive and future‑ready education ecosystem in Arunachal Pradesh. It reaffirmed the government’s commitment to achieving universal access to quality education, modern infrastructure, digital learning and improved learning outcomes by 2029.