EDITORIAL | PGI report: It's time Meghalaya dissects the problem to find the root cause
Though it is a known fact that Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya, no longer holds the title - education hub of the Northeast, it is, however, a matter of grave concern to learn that the performance of the state is so dismal compared to other northeastern states.
The recent Performance Grading Index (PGI) report for the year 2019-20 released by the Centre, ranking Meghalaya at the bottom, is indeed an eye-opener for the state.
Though it is a known fact that Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya, no longer holds the title - education hub of the Northeast, it is, however, a matter of grave concern to learn that the performance of the state is so dismal compared to other northeastern states.
An in-depth analysis is required to figure out the problem before coming up with a solution. The tag that Shillong proudly wore is but a thing of the past.
Shillong is known for its top-notch schools and colleges run by missionaries and churches. But many of these renowned schools are mostly concentrated in urban areas. What about the rural areas?
There have been reports of government schools in rural Meghalaya without a roof, benches, students or teachers. Who is monitoring this? There is also a question of proxy teachers with no experience in teaching, and this is mostly reported from Garo Hills.
These are only a few of the reasons why many schools in Garo Hills reported zero pass percentage in last year's results of the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) and Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) examinations.
It was not long ago when the education minister said that a committee was formed to review the performances of such schools and find out the problem and, if need be, such schools will lose government funding or even worst, closed down.
But so far, the report of the same is yet to be made available - or maybe it was, but hasn't been made public.
Then we have the residential school system. Sources informed that this system is also gathering dust. It was alleged that these structures have turned into white elephants due to accessibility problem besides others.
Recently, the education minister, Lahkmen Rymbui, informed that the infrastructure of 200 schools in the state will be upgraded this year with a budgetary allocation of Rs 100 crore. While this sounds promising, only time will tell whether such attempts will solve the urban-rural divide in terms of imparting education.
ALSO READ: LETTERS | How PGI makes us question Meghalaya’s Education System
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