Itanagar, Aug 11 (IANS) In a bid to ensure 'quality' over 'quantity' in the education sector, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday announced to mandatorily start the roadmap to reform all government schools in the state from early next year.

The Chief Minister expressed concern over the poor quality of education in government schools and called for a drastic change.

Speaking at the concluding day of the 3-day 'Chintan Shivir cum Education Conclave-2024' here, Khandu directed elected representatives, Deputy Commissioners and Deputy Directors of school education to review the status of all government-run schools in their respective jurisdictions and finalise the roadmap for reformation by September 15.

He said that by October 20, all finalised roadmaps should be submitted to the Education Department by all district administrations and by November, the state government would finalise the roadmap after consultations with all stakeholders.

"As 2025 begins, we will roll out this roadmap and ensure it is fully implemented in the next five years," the Chief Minister announced.

He called upon all MLAs, Panchayat leaders, Deputy Commissioners and Deputy Directors of schools to strictly follow the timeline without fail.

Khandu also drew the attention of the education department towards the National Education Policy (NEP), which, as per directions of the Prime Minister's Office, has to be implemented by all states by 2030.

"It's time for us to pull up our socks. We hardly have 6 years at hand," Khandu said.

"Regular government teachers receive the best of salaries compared to teachers in private and NGO-run schools. Despite that, it is quite incomprehensible how the quality of education is so bad in government schools," the Chief Minister said.

Khandu stressed that this must change and emphasised that a time should come in the near future that children of politicians and government officials study in government schools.

"Our goal is to elevate the standard of government schools to a level where every parent feels proud and eager to send their children to these institutions. We envision a future where government schools are the preferred choice for all, regardless of socio-economic background," he added.