Agartala, May 2: Responding to Opposition CPI(M)’s criticism over more than 50,000 vacant posts in various government departments—of which over 20,000 are in the education sector—Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Friday asserted that education remains a top priority for the BJP-led government, which is focused on quality and transparency in recruitment unlike the previous regime.
Speaking after inaugurating the newly constructed Ramnagar Higher Secondary School in Agartala, CM Saha—who also holds the Education portfolio—announced that since 2018, a total of 6,887 school teachers have been recruited through a transparent Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) process to ensure the delivery of quality education.
“Our government is committed to building a strong educational foundation. These TET-qualified teachers have been recruited solely on merit, not on political grounds as was the case during previous governments,” he said, taking a dig at the earlier Left Front administration, which, he alleged, compromised the recruitment process.
Saha further elaborated on the government’s broad efforts to transform the state’s education sector, including the adoption of a modern curriculum, English medium transformation, smart classrooms, digital IEC materials, and overall infrastructure modernization. He informed that during 2024–25, a total of 44 schools have been constructed at a cost of Rs 153 crore. In 2025–26, construction of 30 more school buildings is underway with a projected cost of Rs 264 crore.
In addition, 123 schools will undergo major and minor repairs, with additional classrooms, labs, toilets, libraries, and hostels being developed under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, with a total budget of Rs 151 crore.
The Chief Minister also emphasized the push for digital education, stating that 854 smart classrooms have already been established across the state. He added that the government is also encouraging education for girls by distributing 1.23 lakh free bicycles to Class IX girl students and 140 scooties to meritorious girls who scored high marks in Class XII board exams.
Alongside the Ramnagar HS School, four more schools were virtually inaugurated in West Tripura—Barkathal HS School, Dorogamura High School, Khudiram Basu English Medium School, and Sukanta Academy English Medium HS School—at a combined construction cost of Rs 8.70 crore. The virtual event was attended by Food Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, Minister of State for Industries Brishyaketu Debbarma, Agartala Mayor Dipak Majumder, and senior education department officials.
In his address, Food Minister Chowdhury reiterated that the current government’s focus on quality education is yielding visible results, including improved pass percentages and higher success in national-level competitive exams. He criticized the previous Left regime for politicizing teacher recruitment, which, he said, ultimately led to the Supreme Court-mandated termination of 10,323 teachers due to irregularities.
“Education is the backbone of any society. Without quality teachers, there is no quality education. The BJP government is committed to correcting the past by ensuring transparent recruitment and building a strong, educated future,” he added.
The day’s events underscored the state government’s larger strategy to revamp education and ensure that students in Tripura are equipped to excel both regionally and nationally.
