SHILLONG:
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday said that the educational system in the state had strayed from its core principle, which is the welfare and future of students, in the past 50 years, and stressed that all decisions should prioritise what is best for the students.
The chief minister was speaking at the closing ceremony of the year-long centenary celebrations of Laban Bengalee Boys Higher Secondary School in the presence of Education minister Rakkam A Sangma among others.
“I can say confidently that the education sector is one of the top priorities of the government and the government has adopted student-centric policies,” he said.
Talking about the complex nature of the education sector he said that the state has over 55,000 teachers and close to 15,000 schools and educational institutes. “Managing schools with varying student-teacher ratios, some with few students and several teachers and some with hundreds of students but handful of teachers is one of the many challenges that the education sector faces”, he said and informed that the government is forced to take tough decisions to merge or closing down non-performing institutes.
“A significant change has occurred in the education department over the past five to six years, emphasising student-centric decision-making”, the chief minister said, while adding, “Government funds meant for education were often misused until recently but now we have directed them towards improving infrastructure in government schools.”
He further pointed out that the viability of schools with low enrolment where even after several years, no students pass the matriculation examination is a matter of concern for the government.
He further informed that funds collected for education had previously gone unused until 2019 and added that the present government has channelised the resources collected in the form of cess towards repairing and constructing educational infrastructure benefiting government schools across the state.
The chief minister also urged the students to maintain discipline and punctuality emphasising their importance in personal and professional life and added that maintaining discipline and punctuality is crucial in life as time is our most valuable resource.
“The commitment of the founders of the school 100 years ago to provide quality education is remarkable and we need to ensure that this vision is carried forward for the next 100 years,” he said. Congratulating the school on the historic milestone of 100 years, he said that it is the vision of the founding members and the commitment and dedication of the past and the present teachers and members of the managing committee that has brought the school to its present glory.
Talking about NEP 2020 he spoke at length on the need for colleges to offer a broader range of courses, necessitating additional resources and infrastructure and the financial implications of about Rs 400-500 cr.
Recalling the words of the late P A Sangma during his address, the education minister said that the greatest wealth or asset that one could give to children is education. “Education is the most important asset we can give to the children, the community and the nation and I believe that in the last 100 years, this school has been doing that for thousands of people who are in different positions in society today,” he said.
He further informed that it is the vision of the government to make Meghalaya one of the best states in the education sector.
Earlier the Chief Minister felicitated the toppers of the school in different MBOSE examinations and also released the jubilee souvenir and a book edited by the president of the managing committee of the school.