Meghalaya schools that fared poorly in SSLC likely to lose Government support

Guwahati: Meghalaya Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said that his government is thinking of withdrawing support from the schools that have repeatedly failed to perform in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate examinations.

Speaking on the issue, Rymbui said, "We will seek a report from the ten schools in 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."

This is in contravention to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma's earlier statement in which he had said that the government plans to identify and provide more support to schools that did not perform well in the SSLC exams.

Rymbui said that the ten schools- adhoc, deficit, or government, that secured zero pass percentage -- are already being supported by the government. "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", he further added.

Rymbui identified one of the primary reasons for poor performance in schools in the plain belt areas of Garo Hills as the dispute among the majority of 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 teachers and managing committees," said Rymbui. He also stated that this kind of politicking is not so visible in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region.

Meanwhile, Rymbui said that this is not the first time that schools from Garo Hills have fared poorly. "Lack of infrastructure and good quality teachers are some reasons for poor performance."

"The result of this year's SSLC and Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) is a wakeup call for the government. But we will need the cooperation of the society at large and stakeholders to streamline the system", he further added.

Meghalaya's Education Minister also informed that the Chief Minister is taking a keen interest in the development of the education sector. He said that the government is ready with an education landscape and as per the plan, the government aims to improve the overall education system in the state in terms of infrastructure, accessibility, and quality, by 2022.

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