RONO HILLS, Feb 4: Rajiv Gandhi University celebrated its 42nd foundation day in an enthusiastic manner involving a slew of activities, including photography & essay competitions and felicitation programme, with Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona launching the event at the RGU premises here today.
Speaking as chief guest on the occasion, the Minister congratulated the university for making all-round development and carving a niche for itself at national and international platforms.
Highlighting that Arunachal Pradesh should have a “holistic” approach towards education, Sona stated that through his inspection tours across the nook and corner of the State he has understood that the foundation of the workforce or the students in senior secondary or in colleges is weak, and therefore, the root needs to be treated first, and the department will focus on improving and strengthening the primary education on priority.
The Minister urged the youth especially those in university to be responsible and visionary in their responses especially on social media. He emphasized that the teachers in government schools are recruited through competitions, yet the quality of education remains low in government schools as compared to private schools.
Further, the Minister stated that they are focusing on quality over quantity and the people of the state should allow them little time to improve and make the education system in the State among the best in the country.
Addressing the faculties, staff, students and community members at convention hall of the university, former Vice Chancellor of the University, S Regunathan, who visited the campus after 33 years, shared his experiences during his time in the university. He praised the university which has grown from strength to strength with new departments, courses, institutes and other infrastructural developments. The guest of honour acknowledged the role of RGU in development of nearby localities, especially the transformative development of Doimukh area.
Former VC, in his foundation day lecture, also emphasized that the concrete jungle should not replace traditional bamboo homes, which has been a characteristic feature of the State. He further highlighted that the students and scholars should always remain connected to their roots and culture for their relevance lies in returning the fruits of education back to the society. He also stressed on harnessing the power of AI so that students can cope with the changing scenario.
Prof S K Nayak, Vice Chancellor (acting) of the university, in his speech, shared that during the time of independence the State had only two schools and now it has schools in every village, besides having private colleges, private law colleges, technical institutes of repute and we are witnessing a rejuvenated focus on education in the state. The gross enrolment ratio of the State is 30% which is above the national average. With perseverance and a research oriented positive outlook, RGU would further advance towards academic excellence, he said.
Earlier, RGU Registrar Dr N T Rikam, in his welcome speech, shared the evolutionary journey of the university. In the beginning, he said that the university had only three departments and 48 students and now it has over 40 departments with 5374 students enrolled. Highlighting a significant achievement of the university viz “A” grade accreditation by NAAC in 2024, he also acknowledged the vital role of teachers, students, staff, alumni and community members in shaping the RGU where it stands today.
Prof Otem Padung, Finance officer and chairman of the organizing committee, also spoke.
As a mark of celebration, the university organized photography and essay competitions for the students and employees. In the photography competition, Sashakamoni Kashyap secured first position; the second position was shared by Songio Tania and Priya Lomdak, while Shashank Mishra was adjudged third. In the essay competition themed ‘RGU of My Dreams: Milestones, Challenges and Way Forward’, Nima Dorjee took the top honour, as Ankita Hazarika and Tutumoni Borah received the second and third prizes, respectively.
The university also honoured the outgoing teachers, officers and staff for the preceding year. Prof Bhagabat Nayak, Kurian Thomas, Tikendra Nath, Sanjib Kumar Sur, Lalit Chandra Gogoi and Padma Bahadur Lama were felicitated as outgoing employees of the university. The university also started an annual award series for the best employee of the university to give a morale booster to the employees. Kanak Barman, Bake Karu, Rupan Kalandi, Tadar Monju, Raju Jomoh, Manik Das, and Shib Shankar Dutta were felicitated in this category for their exemplary services.
As part of the foundation day celebration, the formal programme was followed by a sports competition and cultural evening for the students and employees.