GUWAHATI, Nov 20: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has underlined the need to incorporate in the education system more information relating to the Northeast, its freedom fighters, culture and traditions, in order to build bonds of national integration.
Speaking at a panel discussion as a part of the Purvottar Swabhiman Utsav here on Sunday, Sangma observed, “The education system does not speak about the war heroes of the Northeast or the different tribes of the region. There is a very limited scope of information that’s available to children when they start getting educated in our national curriculum.”
Emphasising on data collection, the chief minister said, “It starts off with ensuring that content creation is done and once they are collected they must be placed in the right system.”
“The present government at the Centre is taking a large number of steps in connecting Northeast to the rest of the country through recognition of our freedom fighters who have also played an important role in the country’s freedom struggle in the region. This historical connection must further be established to create a sense of unity,” he said, while adding that “information is power and that knowledge about the Northeast can establish bonds of national integration.”
Stressing on the need for cross-cultural communication among children, Sangma said, “There is a need for a strong cultural exchange and knowing the cultures from different parts of the country from a young age is imperative. People from the Northeast should also know the cultures of the rest of India. It has to be done in a very powerful way such as through cultural exchange programmes, museums, etc.”
The chief minister also said that connectivity in terms of roads, airways, information technology, culture and economy are important as they can create and strengthen bonds between the people of Northeast and the rest of India.
“Political leadership can play an important role in connecting the Northeast with the rest of the country. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, these efforts are bearing fruit and with the right policies and approach the relationship can be further strengthened,” he said.
Sangma further said that the political leadership has to take the right calls and that the Prime Minister has shown the way by ensuring that central ministers mandatorily visit the Northeast states very regularly, a trend that was not seen in the past.
