Shillong, Nov 4 (IANS) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday said that every decision in the education sector must place students at the centre, stressing that improving infrastructure and increasing government spending alone would not ensure quality education.
Speaking at the celebration of the 126th anniversary of Presbyterian Higher Secondary School here, Sangma inaugurated the institution’s new Higher Secondary Section and laid the foundation stone for its school auditorium.
Calling education one of the most powerful tools for bringing social change, the Chief Minister said investing in children and schools was the greatest investment a government could make.
Sangma recalled that Meghalaya had once witnessed nearly 50 per cent of students failing the SSLC examinations, saying the situation had crushed the dreams of thousands of young students even before they could begin pursuing them.
He said the government’s CM IMPACT programme had helped improve the pass percentage to over 90 per cent, while emphasising that the focus must now shift towards improving the quality of education.
The Chief Minister highlighted the shortage of higher educational institutions in the state, noting that Meghalaya has around 9,000 Lower Primary schools but only about 500 Higher Secondary schools and just over 100 colleges.
“This creates a major challenge and leads to dropouts. We need more Higher Secondary schools and colleges, but these changes take time,” he said.
Sangma said the government spends close to Rs 4,000 crore annually on education but added that expenditure alone should not be the benchmark for success.
“At the end of the day, quality of education is what we need to strive for. That will only come when we keep the student at the centre of all our decision-making,” he said.
He urged teachers and school management committees to provide individual attention to children, recognising that every student has different abilities, learning capacities and needs.
The Chief Minister also said the government was working on a mechanism to extend financial assistance to more than 700 secondary and higher secondary schools that currently receive no government support.
He assured that the government was working towards a fair and sustainable plan to expand support while ensuring the long-term interests of the education sector.
–IANS
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