News
Arunachal CM Kalikho Pul visits Government Middle School in Itanagar, ends up taking class
Arunachal CM Kalikho Pul has the habit of inspecting the toilets of all the schools he visits. On his recent school visit, he had a freewheeling interaction with the students where he encouraged them to follow their dreams.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Kalikho Pul is cut from a different cloth. Pul, who became the CM on February 20 after he revolted against the Congress party and it’s CM Nabam Tuki, makes it a point to inspect schools and particularly toilets, during his visits to different parts of the state.
That schools are high on the agenda of Pul not only for the sake of inspection but also for the quality that is churned out is evident by the fact that on Monday while visiting a school he smoothly transitioned from the role of a leader to a school teacher. Instead of coaxing students to read or answer to questions related to their text books, he chose to speak to them about becoming good citizens.
“Love for your country is the most important thing. Yes, you must study hard and understand the lessons instead of simply memorizing them. But then if you don’t love your country, if you do not love your state, then you are not going to do justice to yourself,” Pul, who drove to the Government Middle School in the heart of Itanagar, the state capital, told the students.
“The pattern of education and competition levels is changing day by day. So, you have to prepare yourselves from the lower level. Moreover, you must abstain from bad habits like consuming tobacco products like gutkha. Also, always maintain discipline in life and keep away from bad friends,” he said.
Interacting with the students, CM Pul discovered first hand and to his dismay that many of the Class VII and VIII students were unable to read and write properly. Another let down for him was the poor display of General Knowledge by the students who were unable to answer many simple questions.
He was also curious to know about their ambitions in life and motivated them to work hard to achieve their dreams. “My friends, the opportunities are not only limited to government jobs, but there is future in fields like games and sports, handloom and handicrafts, music, theatre and so many other fields. It is up to you to choose,” he pointed out the many vistas available to the students.
Lastly, as is the practice in all his school visits, the CM also inspected the school’s toilets and told the teachers to ensure the cleanliness of toilets, particularly those for girls. “The teachers’ common room toilet should also be clean,” he directed. Schools which do not have proper toilets have been asked to submit proposals to the education department, assuring them that there was no dearth of funds for building and maintaining proper toilets in schools.