Shillong, November 11, 2025:
Highlighting the pressing need to rationalise Meghalaya’s school system, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday revealed that 206 schools in the state have zero enrolment, while another 2,269 have single-digit enrolment, underscoring an urgent call for structural reform in education.
Speaking after inaugurating new classrooms at Ri Bhoi Synod College, Umsaitsning—funded under the Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund (CMSDF) 2025–26 at a cost of ₹23.72 lakh—Sangma said the education sector faces deep-rooted structural challenges that must be addressed holistically.
“There is a huge challenge in front of us to rationalize schools and the different categories of schools and also rationalisation of teachers without hampering their livelihoods,” the Chief Minister said.
Pointing to the skewed concentration of higher education institutions in Shillong, Sangma stated that the government spends “about ₹120 crore in giving salaries to private colleges” and is now working to expand opportunities in rural areas through 23 proposed People’s Colleges across the state.
Reiterating that education remains the cornerstone of human development, Sangma stressed, “Investment in roads, buildings and infrastructures becomes meaningless without investing in human capital.” He emphasised that the youth must be guided and nurtured to compete at the highest levels, noting that true progress lies in empowering them through quality education.
The Chief Minister informed that Meghalaya supports 4,172 private schools, covering 65% of teachers’ salaries—the highest proportion among all northeastern states. However, he conceded, “While our numbers in terms of government supporting private schools and colleges surpass all other North Eastern states, the results are not as expected.”
Calling the multiple categories of schools “the core of problems in the education sector,” Sangma questioned their effectiveness, saying, “How can a structured education system and focussed program be given to a child when the parents and the child have to go through different systems and different schools?”
He cautioned that administrative firefighting often diverts attention from the primary goal—student welfare. “While we try to solve those problems, we lose focus of the child and what is important for the child,” he said.
Expressing satisfaction over the new facilities at Ri Bhoi Synod College, Sangma noted, “I am happy to fund this college under the Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund since this college is serving the people and students, playing a very pivotal role in imparting education to the students in and around this area.”
The inauguration event was attended by Community and Rural Development Minister Sosthenes Sohtun, Umsning MLA Dr. C. Lyngdoh, and several dignitaries.
