New Delhi, May 25: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma met Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today, conceding Meghalaya’s bottom rank in the Performance Grading Index for three years and laying out a reform roadmap.
Sangma told Pradhan the Education Department has identified gaps in learning outcomes and begun “root-level” fixes. Key structural issues: too many schools, fragmented resources, and complex grant-in-aid layers built over decades.
Meghalaya, with ∼30 lakh people, runs 14,600 schools — the highest among six Northeast states excluding Assam. “These factors diverted focus from learning outcomes,” Sangma said.
The State is now consolidating schools to optimize infrastructure, improve student-teacher ratios, and boost labs and digital access. It is also streamlining multiple grant-in-aid systems to cut red tape and refocus on academics.
Major steps briefed to Pradhan include a unified pay structure with structured SSA teacher salaries for parity and accountability, DIKSHA-enabled teacher training, and self-paced learning modules.
Other moves: NEP three-language formula with compulsory Khasi and Garo, no summative exams till Class 2, play-based learning, contextual textbooks, bagless days every alternate day at foundational stage, and no textbooks for pre-schools.
Of 14,582 schools, 3,198 have been deleted for resource optimization. The State rolled out community-integrated skill learning where students pick up practical health and physical education skills from family and local mentors.
Sangma also detailed the new CM LEAD Fellowship placing 12 skilled professionals across districts to drive planning, monitoring, and reform execution. A dedicated Meghalaya Teachers Training Academy will run Samagra Shiksha’s teacher education component to raise continuous professional development hours.
“With a clear roadmap and strong political will, Meghalaya is poised to overcome its challenges and significantly improve its PGI performance,” Sangma said, reaffirming commitment to quality education for every child.
