By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Meghalaya College Teachers Association (MCTA) president Dr Charles Reuben Lyngdoh has observed that higher education in recent years has isolated itself from the society resulting in breakdown of this vital social contract.
“There is a need to launch a campaign to re-establish and strengthen higher education establishing close linkages with the society through a well-coordinated approach going way beyond the prevailing relationship,” Dr Lyngdoh said in his presidential address at 30th General Conference of the MCTA here on Saturday.
He also felt that colleges must engage more intensively than before with wider society and contribute to the local and regional development and provide intellectual leadership to society.
According to Dr Lyngdoh, changes in the development and process of education including higher education are inevitable.
“As important stake holders, teachers must conform to as well as adapt to these changes. Suitable modification ought to be made if such changes are to be relevant and purposeful in the context of our society,” MCTA president said while adding that the State Government must also be responsible and influential in promoting quality higher education.
The MCTA president said that these contributions at present are minimal as stakeholders are discouraged by indifferent and delayed response of the State Government in numerous occasions.
“If higher education is to be relevant for its political, social, economic, cultural and linguistic contributions, the State Government must forment an inclusive vision.”
“It must play an active role to ensure that colleges meet the minimum set of standards for quality and access to higher education,” he said while adding that the absence of this minimum set of standards only exacerbates the present divide that is visible.
“The Government must also put in place effective monitoring structures for evaluating and analysing the ways in which higher education policies are carried out in practice,” the MCTA president said.
Dr Lyngdoh however observed that Meghalaya cannot continue to justly its claim to be the ‘hub of education’ in the region if the educational divide continues to persist between territories and within urban areas, urban and rural areas and also within districts.
“At the end of the day, we must ask ourselves whether we are moulding a generation only equipped with the ‘3Rs’ (reading, writing and arithmetic) or one also equipped with the ‘4Cs’ (critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity),” Dr Lyngdoh said.
Meanwhile, he said that the process of assessment and accreditation has been an eye opener for transition of education that is unfolding and awaits us.
“Initially, viewed with apprehensions in the midst of frequent obstacles, this process has been of learning and engagement,” the MCTA president said.
“Nevertheless, concerted efforts must be made to improve the overall quality of higher education both in terms of infrastructures and teaching and learning resources so that a decade ahead there could be a reasonable degree of parity among colleges,” Dr Lyngdoh added.