Minister for Tourism and Higher Education Temjen Imna Along inaugurated the new academic block and lays the foundation stone for a 100-bed girls’ hostel at Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung, on November 12. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Mokokchung | November 12
Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung, inaugurated its new academic block and laid the foundation stone for a 100-bed girls’ hostel under the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) on November 12.
Nagaland Minister for Tourism and Higher Education Temjen Imna Along attended the programme as the special guest and formally inaugurated the academic block and laid the foundation stone for the hostel.
Speaking at the programme, Minister Along said the new facilities would contribute significantly to the advancement of higher education in Nagaland. He stressed that the success of an institution was the result of collective efforts by the government, faculty, students, communities and other stakeholders.
He urged the people to support Fazl Ali College, which he described as an institution of excellence and the first government college in Nagaland to offer multidisciplinary subjects in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The Minister also announced that the government was considering the construction of a multipurpose building at the college, with an estimated investment of Rs 5–6 crore. He said the facility could support sports, academic activities, music, arts and skill development, subject to the timely progress of the girls’ hostel project.
Along further encouraged the college to develop music and skill-based programmes, noting that creative fields could provide new professional and economic opportunities for young people. He also called for the establishment of a dedicated coaching centre to help students prepare for competitive examinations and pursue leadership roles in different professions.
Additional Secretary, Higher and Technical Education, and State Project Director of PM-USHA, Sentiyanger Pongen, said the PM-USHA scheme had helped improve infrastructure and academic facilities in government colleges across the country. He urged institutions to properly utilise and maintain the facilities provided under the scheme.
Pongen also stressed the need for the girls’ hostel project to be completed within the prescribed timeline so that subsequent instalments of funding could be released without difficulty. He said the government was working to strengthen higher education and address the shortage of teachers in government colleges.
According to the technical report presented by the Executive Engineer of NPWD (Higher Education), the new academic building was constructed under the PM-USHA scheme at an estimated cost of Rs 4 crore. The civil works were awarded for Rs 3,63,18,700, with a completion period of 24 months.
The G+2 reinforced-concrete building has a total built-up area of 1,046.4 square metres. It includes administrative offices, seven classrooms, a computer room, a faculty room and common toilet facilities. The classrooms can accommodate approximately 200 to 250 students.
The building was completed in one year and seven months—five months ahead of the scheduled deadline.
In his welcome address, FAC Principal Dr I Wati Imchen said the new academic block would provide an improved environment for teaching, research, innovation and collaborative learning. He expressed hope that the facility would support the introduction of new academic programmes, including postgraduate and multidisciplinary courses.
He said the proposed girls’ hostel would promote inclusivity and accessibility by enabling students, particularly those from rural and distant areas, to pursue higher education in a safe and supportive residential environment.
