Itanagar, Jul 16: Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday felicitated and presented appointment orders to 111 successful candidates of the Post Graduate Teachers (PGT) Examination-2025 conducted by the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC), urging them to become agents of educational transformation in the state.
Addressing the new recruits at a ceremony organised by the General Administration Department, Khandu congratulated them on joining one of the most important professions and called upon them to serve with dedication and commitment.
The Chief Minister also commended the APPSC for conducting the recruitment process in a transparent, efficient and time-bound manner. He said that, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for reforms, the state government had overhauled its recruitment system by establishing the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB) and restructuring the APPSC to ensure transparency and merit-based recruitment.
Highlighting the outstanding performance of women candidates, Khandu expressed happiness that female aspirants continue to dominate merit-based competitive examinations in the state.
"It is heartening to see that our daughters are consistently excelling in competitive examinations. The future of Arunachal is undoubtedly in safe hands," he said.
The Chief Minister said Arunachal Pradesh has immense talent not only in academics but also in sports, performing arts and other fields. Referring to the state's sporting achievements, he noted that Arunachal has emerged as the second-best performing state in the Northeast at the National Games after once being among the country's lowest performers.
Stressing the importance of teamwork in governance, Khandu said the state's development has been driven by the collective efforts of elected representatives, civil servants, technocrats, Panchayati Raj Institutions, community-based organisations and citizens.
Reaffirming the government's commitment to improving education, he said the focus is now on quality rather than merely increasing the number of schools. He noted that unplanned expansion after Statehood and the implementation of the Right to Education Act had adversely affected educational standards.
The Chief Minister highlighted Mission Shikshit Arunachal-2029 as the government's roadmap for comprehensive education reforms. He informed that over 600 schools have already been rationalised under the mission, while district-wise consultations have been completed to identify more schools for merger and consolidation.
He said the reforms aim to establish well-equipped model schools with quality infrastructure, adequate teachers, hostel facilities where necessary and a conducive academic environment.
Calling on the newly appointed teachers to become mentors and role models, Khandu urged them to inspire students to dream big and prepare for a technology-driven future.
He also highlighted the state's scholarship programme for students securing admission to the world's top 150 universities under the QS World University Rankings, stating that the government bears up to 70-75 per cent of educational expenses for eligible students in technical disciplines.
The APPSC recruitment process witnessed participation from 5,774 applicants, of whom 5,726 appeared in the Preliminary Examination. A total of 1,356 candidates qualified for the Main Examination, 337 were shortlisted for the viva-voce, and 111 candidates were finally selected.
Later taking to social media platform X, Khandu said, “Our government is committed to ensuring a transparent, merit-based recruitment system where talent is recognized and opportunity is earned.”
Khandu urged the newly recruited teachers to dream big, teach with passion and lead by example. “The children of Arunachal deserve the very best, and I am confident you will rise to that responsibility,” he said, expressing confidence that the teachers would play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the state’s younger generation.