Agartala, June 16, 2026: In a major step aimed at improving the quality of school education in Tripura, the state government is considering merging some government schools and handing over their management to reputed organisations like the Ramakrishna Mission, Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Monday.

The Chief Minister said the proposed initiative is intended to create a better academic environment for students and address existing challenges in government schools. “We are planning to merge some schools and entrust their management to organisations or societies like the Ramakrishna Mission so that students receive quality education,” he said.

The move comes amid concerns over teacher shortages in government schools, with a recent NITI Aayog report reportedly highlighting a shortage of over 8,000 teachers in the state.

Saha said declining enrolment in some government schools is also linked to the increasing preference for English-medium education, especially among students from tribal areas. While many government schools follow Bengali-medium education, private institutions have expanded their English-medium offerings.

The Chief Minister said the government is working to bring government schools at par with private institutions. He highlighted the transformation of 125 schools into Vidyajyoti Schools under the CBSE curriculum in 2021 as part of education reforms.

He also pointed out that the dropout rate has been decreasing and stressed the importance of keeping girls in schools. Addressing the issue of child marriage, Saha said several welfare programmes have been introduced to encourage girls’ education and self-reliance.

As part of these efforts, the state government has expanded its free bicycle distribution scheme for Class IX girl students by removing the family income limit. Around 41,800 girl students across Tripura are expected to receive bicycles during the current financial year.