In Meghalaya, the education sector receives the highest share of the state budget, yet rural schools continue to struggle with crumbling infrastructure, lack of basic facilities, and unsafe learning environments. The recent condition of the Government L.P. School in Chinaramgre village, West Garo Hills, has laid bare the ground reality.
Located around 23 km from Tikrikilla near Raksamgre, the school’s roof is nearly 50 percent damaged. Students are forced to sit through lessons under leaking ceilings during heavy rains and endure the harsh sunlight during dry spells. This grim reality remained buried until a video emerged on social media, showing children soaked in rainwater as they studied, their books drenched and their safety compromised.
The viral video sparked widespread outrage and drew immediate attention from the media and student organisations. On-site visits exposed years of neglect that had silently plagued the school. The incident has since become symbolic of the broader failures within Meghalaya’s rural education infrastructure.
“We, too, saw that circulated video and wondered whether it’s rumor or reality. To find out the truth, our entire team came to this school and spoke with people in the village. Seeing it made us feel very distressed. We also gathered information from the students. They told us that during the rains they get soaked even while inside their classrooms, and their books get drenched too. As the president of the students, it deeply saddened me. I appeal to our Education Minister, Mr. Rakkam Ji, and to our Chief Minister to please fix this school as soon as possible. I have full faith in them,” said Odith Sangma, President of the Garo Students’ Union (GSU), Western Zone.
Local officials confirmed that the school’s deteriorating condition had been flagged earlier but was never addressed meaningfully. “In 2022, we submitted a memorandum to former MLA Mr. Benidick, but he was unable to take any action. Subsequently, we informed the current MLA about the school’s condition, not through a formal memorandum but through conversations. The local MLA even visited the school and witnessed the situation firsthand. However, to this day, no action has been taken. Although we did not submit a written demand, we have communicated our concerns verbally. Yet, nothing has changed. We continue to wait for a positive response from the government,” said Marking Stone B. Marak, President of the school.
Frustration is also growing among parents. “We have often seen the children of this school returning home soaked in cold water. At home, we have to dry their clothes and books in the sun,” said Changal B. Marak, Vice President of the school.
This episode has renewed scrutiny over Meghalaya’s education budget spending. Although the sector receives the state’s largest allocation, a significant chunk reportedly goes into salaries, leaving little for infrastructure in rural and remote areas. The situation in Chinaramgre is not an isolated failure—it reflects a chronic, systemic oversight that continues to deny thousands of children across the state access to safe, dignified learning environments.
