South students also receive laptops

EFFORT TO MAKE GOVT SCHOOL STUDENTS BETTER EQUIPPED WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TOOLS: CM
NAMCHI, 08 Dec: After East and West Sikkim, the students of South Sikkim received free laptops on Saturday.
A total of 4,357 Class XI and XII students from 14 Senior Secondary Schools of South District and students of Namchi Government College, Kamrang were presented with laptops by the Chief Minister Pawan Chamling at Singithang public ground, Namchi on 07 December.
The Chief Minister began his address with a tribute to Nelson Mandela and urged the students to follow in his footsteps.
“I know the pain as well as dreams of underprivileged since I come from the same background,” he continued, adding that students enrolled in private schools have access to information technology tools and the outside world but students at government schools were not so privileged which had created a huge gap between them. This distribution of laptops was a step towards making them equally equipped and hence equally competitive and knowledgeable, he said.
“The Right to Education seeks equal education for all but was never implemented properly. I am working for the implementation of Right to Education in the true sense so that students from both rich and poor backgrounds have access to the same facilities,” the CM said in his address.
He further said that besides the Sikkim Government College, Tadong and Law College, the rest of the colleges and universities were opened under the SDF Government which has provided a platform for higher studies for students hailing from rural areas who cannot afford to go outside the state.
“I am nurturing the dreams of the Sikkimese people; let not a single dream of the people die, that is my aim. Knowledge is the biggest resource and medium of success in this era and I want to see the students of Sikkim as the most advanced of India,” he told the students.
Rs 60 crore worth of laptops were imported for the students of Sikkim, informed the CM to drive home the point of his commitment to the interests of the youth.
“As promised in the party manifesto 2009, a number of teachers were regularised and the SDF government is working towards hiring more. We are also trying to regularise employees in different departments”, he said, adding that no teacher will be hired on ad-hoc basis from now onwards.
In the meantime, he urged the teachers to be more serious about their work which he said is directly connected with the future of students.
Speaking on opposition parties, Mr. Chamling alleged that they are leading innocent youth towards destruction. “It is difficult to construct a better society, but it is very easy to destroy one. SDF has created a prosperous Sikkim but some are busy trying to destroy it, the choice is yours,” he said.
The CM further assured of all possible help to the students.
Earlier, Secretary HRDD, Thomas Chandy presented the welcome address.
The students’ representatives of various schools and colleges thanked the Chief Minister for the free laptops which they said was a dream come true for students from economically backward families. They also pledged to use the laptops well and for gaining knowledge.
Along with the HRD Minister NK Pradhan, the programme was also attended by Cabinet ministers, MLAs, Zilla Adhakshya and Upadhakshya, South, Chairmen and the departmental officers.