Chief Minister Pema Khandu today dedicated the St Vairotsana Academy, situated at the picturesque Chug Valley in Dirang, West Kameng district, to the people of the state.
St Vairotsana Academy, a residential school for underprivileged run by His Eminence Kyabje Ugyen Choephel Rinpoche, was established in 2016 with donations from philanthropists, especially from Vietnam and Malaysia.
Expressing gratitude on behalf of the people of Arunachal Pradesh, particularly of West Kameng and Tawang districts, to His Eminence Kyabje Ugyen Choephel Rinpoche and the donors, who were present on the occasion, Khandu said that ‘their gift’ to people will be cherished forever.
He said that opening a school with the objective to impart quality education to the downtrodden is one of the most pious and noble philanthropic acts.
“I am grateful to His Eminence Kyabje Ugyen Choephel Rinpoche for choosing Chug Valley of all places that he surveyed for establishing the school despite the fact that he is not native to Arunachal Pradesh,” Khandu said.
He said that the best part is that the school, along with contemporary education, will also impart customary and religious values of the Mon region to its students.
“Modernity is necessary but not at the cost of our traditional values. We must ensure that along with modern education our children should also be aware of our traditional values,” he said.
Emphasizing on quality education at the pre-primary level, Khandu said that kids in pre-primary level should be taken utmost care as this stage forms the foundation of their educational career.
He urged every member of the society to support the school administration and school management committees especially of government schools to be pro-active and ensure discipline.
To a request for government support in form of a corpus fund for the school, Khandu assured that the same will be provided at the soonest. He also assured government support in other requirements of the school.
“Constructing buildings is the easiest task but using these building to impart quality education to the students is the hardest. The onus now lies on the principal and faculty members. I believe they will live up to our expectations,” Khandu added.
Meanwhile, the chief minister also inaugurated a 150 capacity new hostel building of the school.
Also present were local legislator Phurpa Tsering, Kalaktang MLA Dorjee Wangdi Kharma, district administration officials, representatives of ITBP and SSB and Buddhist monks from various states and countries.
