Shillong: The Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council on Monday criticised the Meghalaya government over the state’s low ranking in the Performance Grading Index (PGI) for school education, calling it a reflection of failures in the education sector and demanding immediate corrective measures.
In a statement, the HYC said Meghalaya’s position among the lowest-performing states in school education was “a national embarrassment” and blamed the government for poor learning outcomes, high dropout rates, inadequate infrastructure and lack of effective planning.
The organisation alleged that despite repeated claims of development and youth empowerment, the condition of the education system remained weak, affecting students across the state.
It further said that public funds continued to be spent while the education sector struggled with long-standing structural problems. The HYC also accused the government of focusing on “political narratives and cosmetic achievements” instead of addressing the concerns of students, teachers and parents.
Demanding accountability, the HYC called for a complete review of the education system, transparent disclosure of shortcomings and a time-bound reform plan to improve the sector.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Monday made a presentation to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on the challenges affecting the state’s PGI performance and the roadmap prepared by the government to improve educational outcomes.
The chief minister acknowledged that Meghalaya had remained at the bottom of the PGI rankings for the last three years. He said the Education Department had identified gaps in learning outcomes and initiated reforms to address the issues.
According to Sangma, one of the major structural concerns was the unusually high number of schools in the state, which led to fragmented use of resources and administrative complications. He noted that Meghalaya, with a population of around 30 lakh, has nearly 14,600 schools, higher than several other northeastern states excluding Assam.
He informed the Union minister that the government has started consolidating schools to optimise infrastructure and improve student-teacher ratios, laboratories and digital facilities. Out of 14,582 schools, 3,198 schools have already been rationalised, he said.
The chief minister also highlighted steps to streamline multiple grant-in-aid mechanisms and introduce a unified pay structure for teachers, including SSA teachers, to improve accountability and morale.
Other measures presented included teacher training through DIKSHA-enabled professional development programmes, implementation of the National Education Policy’s three-language formula, compulsory learning of Khasi and Garo, play-based learning methods and contextualised textbooks.
Sangma also informed that the government has launched the “CM LEAD Fellowship” under which 12 fellows will be deployed across districts to strengthen planning, coordination and monitoring of education reforms.
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He added that the Meghalaya Teachers Training Academy has also been set up to improve continuous professional development for teachers under Samagra Shiksha.
“With a clear roadmap and strong political will, Meghalaya is poised to overcome its challenges and significantly improve its PGI performance in the coming years,” the chief minister said.
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