Neiphiu Rio and others during the foundation stone laying programme of Professional College of Music & Fine Arts at Tsiesema on September 7. (Morung Photo)
Lays foundation stone of Professional College of Music & Fine Arts at Tsiesema
Our Correspondent
Kohima | September 7
Nagaland is lacking behind in many ways “but most of all our concern is education,” asserted Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio today.
“Our vision, our dream is to give quality education to our children,” he said after laying down the foundation stone of Professional College of Music & Fine Arts in Tsiesema, about 12 kms away from the state capital.
The highest expenditure incurring activity is sending children to schools and colleges outside the state, which is draining the economy, he underscored.
The project was sanctioned under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) and is proposed to be completed in 2023.
Rio said that apart from the projects of RUSA 1.0 and 2.0, many more professional college and model college projects are expected to be sanctioned for the state.
“If we have world class centres of excellence, professional and model colleges and other institutions then our children will definitely excel,” he adding that any festival involves music, singing, dancing and all kinds of dramas and fine arts.
The Chief Minister further expressed hope that the institute would further enhance the performance of the people.
Urging the concerned contractors to do quality work, he said that the building structure should also have Naga motifs.
Rio also requested land owners to give full support and protection to the project, while stressing on collective efforts to ensure timely completion of the project.
Speaking on the occasion, Higher and Technical Education and Tribal Affairs Minister Temjen Imna Along on behalf of the department expressed gratitude to Tsiesema villagers for their cooperation and offering the land for the college at a ‘very low cost.’ Briefing about RUSA 2.0, he maintained that the centre would be counting Nagaland as one of the only states in the north-east that has successfully implemented the project.
Comprehensive music education, fine arts programmes
The College, once completed, is expected to offer quality and comprehensive programme with high standards of excellence in music education and fine arts for skills and entrepreneurship development in music, performance and visual arts.
It is also projected to act as an institute for “incubation and nurturing of creativity, research for furtherance or the arts and indigenous culture, technology application for utmost proficiency in music and art forms and advocacy services.”
It was informed that both diploma and undergraduate degree courses in fine arts and undergraduate degree courses in music would be introduced at the initial phase at the college.
Courses would include Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Music, BA Honours in Music, Bachelor of Science in Sound Engineering, Bachelor in Fine Art (Digital Art), Diploma in Painting & Drawing, and Advance Diploma in Fine Arts.
