GUWAHATI, Dec 10 - Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today launched the exercise of distribution of free textbooks for the academic year 2016 at a function held at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra here, said an official press release here.
This is a sequel to the Government initiatives to make education universal and affordable. Under this exercise, free textbooks will be supplied to students from the pre-primary level to Class VIII. This venture will benefit around 53 lakh students of the State.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the main objective of launching the initiative early is to ensure the timely distribution of textbooks to the students. He said that the Government has taken the decision to include pre-primary level within the ambit of free textbook distribution to make primary education qualitative because quality primary education leads to the foundation of quality higher education. Gogoi also commented that the right to education should be fundamental to all and this was the guiding force for the Government behind introducing the Right to Education.
The Chief Minister further said that the Government is contemplating steps to set up more skill development institutions in the State along with a university exclusively for skill development.
Education Minister Sarat Borkotoky also spoke on the occasion. Parliamentary Secretary, Education, Rakibuddin Ahmed, Principal Secretary, Education, Paban Borthakur, Commissioner and Secretary, Elementary Education, Preetom Saikia, Managing Director, RMSA, RC Jain, along with other dignitaries, were present on the occasion.
The Assam State Textbook Production and Publication Corporation Limited also handed over a cheque for Rs 10 lakh as donation to the Chief Minister�s Relief Fund.
