CM recalls contributions of Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
AGARTALA: Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha highlighted significant progress in reducing the educational quality gap between urban and rural areas attributing this to state government initiatives focused on modern technology. He made these remarks during the state-level birth anniversary celebration of Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar organised by the School Education and Information and Cultural Affairs Departments at Muktadhara Auditorium in Agartala Saturday.
The event commenced with tributes to Vidyasagar, esteemed as an educationist, social reformer and a pioneer in Bengali prose. Dr Saha underscored Vidyasagar's contributions to making Bengali script more accessible enhancing the language's development.
Chief Minister went on saying that Vidyasagar's educational philosophy that underlined the necessity of educating all and his major literary works like Sita Vanvas, Kathamala and Varnaparichay as critical assets in Bengali literature.
Dr Saha acknowledged Vidyasagar's advocacy against societal superstitions like Sati practice and child marriage, and his efforts to promote women's education by establishing girls' schools across Bengal. He stressed Vidyasagar's belief in the correlation between a nation's growth and women's education.
Dr Saha further mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of balancing tradition with modernity, which is reflected in the National Education Policy, ensuring old traditions are preserved alongside contemporary educational reforms. He urged educators to transform schools into talent development centers and reported that the state has invested Rs 1,178 crore into enhancing the infrastructure of 213 schools to support these objectives.
The event was attended by numerous dignitaries and senior government officials.