Meghalaya: Some schools may lose Govt’s support due to poor performance in SSLC exams
SHILLONG | JULY 23, 2020:
Meghalaya Education Minister, Lahkmen Rymbui said that the Government will consider withdrawing support from the schools that have continuously failed to perform in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations.
"We will seek a report on the ten schools from Garo Hills that secured zero pass percentage in this year's SSLC examinations. We will go deep into this matter and if necessary, we will withdraw our support from these schools," Rymbui told reporters here today.
Interestingly, the remarks made by the Education Minister contradict the statement issued by the Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday where he had stated that government plans to identify and provide more support to schools that did not perform well in the SSLC exams.
Reacting to this, Rymbui said that ten schools that secured zero pass percentage are already getting support as they are either adhoc, deficit, or government schools.
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"I don't think it is right to continue supporting those schools that are not doing well. We need to understand that financial assistance from the government is not an entitlement and it should be based on performance. These schools are accountable since the funds which they are receiving are public money," the Meghalaya Education Minister said.
Rymbui further observed that one glaring reason which has contributed to the poor performance of the schools, especially in the plain belt areas of Garo Hills, is the dispute among the majority of the managing committees.
"There are many cases that have reached the High Court over the formation of the managing committees. We are also seeing a dispute between the group of the teachers and managing committees. This has largely contributed to the lack of coordination which resulted in the lower pass percentage of the students. This kind of politicking among the managing committees is very less in the Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills region," he said.
Meanwhile, Rymbui said that this is not the first time that schools from Garo Hills have faired poorly.
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"We had tried to assess internally on the lower pass percentage of the students from the Garo Hills region. The department had submitted a report which pointed out that some of the reasons for the non-performance of these schools are lack of infrastructure and good quality teachers. But these problems cannot be attributed to all the schools. The results of this year's SSLC and Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) is a wake-up call for the Government. But we will need the cooperation of the society at large and stakeholders to streamline the system," he said.
The Meghalaya Education Minister also informed that the Chief Minister is taking a keen interest in the development of the education sector.
"We have prepared an education landscape and by 2022, the overall education system in the state will be improved in terms of infrastructure, accessibility, and quality of education," Rymbui said.
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