Leaking roofs, broken windows, damaged doors, and dilapidated classrooms — the grim reality of many school buildings in Meghalaya — will soon be replaced as the State Government embarks upon a massive education mission to construct new and modern school infrastructures across the state. In a significant stride towards strengthening the state’s education foundation, the Meghalaya Government will launch Mission Education-IV, though it is at the proposal stage but it aimed at constructing over 150 new government lower primary school buildings to ensure that every child has access to quality learning in a safe and conducive environment.
Education continues to remain the topmost priority for the state, with 15% of Meghalaya’s annual budget — amounting to ₹3,654 crore — dedicated to the education sector, the highest allocation among all government departments.
“This is the first government which recognises that the infrastructure of the school is so linked to the quality education of the children. So we have invested in Mission One, Mission Two, Mission Three, and now we are going to invest in Mission Four,” said Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui.
Highlighting the enormity of the task, Rymbui said, “As we know, in the state of Meghalaya only elementary schools number about 15,000, and it’s not very easy for the government to undertake on its own. Having said that, we are now doing it in a phase-wise manner for government schools, but for the deficit, ad-hoc or grant-in-aid schools, some we intervene while some do it on their own. But our intention is to see that all the infrastructure used to teach the children should be proper and should meet all the criteria needed for the true development of the children.”
Calling the Mission a continuous process, he further stated, “The state government has already invested in Mission One, Two, and Three. Not only that, thousands of schools have already been repaired by the government, and it is a continuous process that we will see how to develop and take care of the schools. As I said, it is not a question of hundred schools or thousand schools; it is the question of 15,000 schools — private, government, government-aided, ad-hoc, deficit — that is not a matter of joke.”
“The government is planning to construct around 150 schools and not only that, through the ADB programme, we have planned to take about not less than 15 schools. Now nearly 150 schools we will take, and including repairs, it’s about 160–170, including the fund from the state government and also fund from the ADB,” Rymbui added.
