Shillong has ceased to be the education hub of the North East. The increase in pass percentage in SSLC and HSSLC is either marginal or none. This year’s SSLC toppers’ list leak added insult to the injury. The scenario in rural areas is the worst. The Government allotted Rs 909.94 crore for education in this year’s budget and proposed several schemes to rejuvenate the system. But how serious is the Congress-led Government to improve education system in the State? School Education and Literacy Minister Deborah Marak tells The Shillong Times the department is working on all the weak points but the responsibility is collective and all stakeholders, including schools and parents, should also contribute in bringing about a change. Excerpts:
Nearly one lakh students dropped out of schools in Meghalaya in the past four years, govt statistics show. How do you propose to improve this?
The numbers that I gave at the Assembly is not completely correct because there are many children who are going back to schools. The number of children from among the dropouts was not mentioned in the House. But the government is already taking measures to control the dropouts the number of which is decreasing.
In some cases, like in the Garo Hills region, the matriculation results were poor and those who could not pass usually do not want to go back to studies. In such cases, it becomes a collective responsibility for the government, schools, parents and students improve the situation.
Why do you think Garo Hills put up a poor show in SSLC and HSSLC? Why? How do you think it can be improved?
The main reason for such poor show is weak foundation in primary schools in rural areas. There are proxy teachers in many interior schools and we have to stop that. We need trained teachers even in primary schools so that students have a strong base. I had been to some schools in Garo Hills where some of the students of classes VI and VII cannot read or write. This is sad.
There have been reports that owing to lack of vernacular textbooks students in rural areas cannot cope with the syllabus? Why aren’t there any textbooks in local languages?
I should not say that alone. We have to look at the teaching system in the State. As I said there are proxy teachers and untrained faculty members in many rural schools. That is the reason why students cannot cope with the pressure in higher classes. It has nothing to do with the syllabus. The syllabus has to be uniform.
Also, every student has the right to quality education and access to qualified teachers. If there is any complaint, the government takes prompt action against errant teachers.
Many states have vernacular schools. Shouldn’t there be vernacular schools in Meghalaya too?
Every state has its own system. Meghalaya was once an education hub. The problem is in rural areas and we can streamline and make the State a role model for others as far as education is concerned.
Has the government started rolling out Jodo-Gyan project for science and mathematics — the two subjects in which students perform poorly?
Yes, students’ performance in science and mathematics is a concern for all of us. I think every school should look into it. Every school should take extra care to train their students, especially of classes IX and X. Schools should give tuitions, besides the regular classes. (Jodo-Gyan project was proposed during the budget session in March to improve performance of school students in science and mathematics and is to be rolled out in 2017-18. The minister did not mention whether the Government has rolled it out)
Many rural schools do not have buildings, leave apart other infrastructure. What is the Government doing?
The Government has taken over so many schools from district councils. In some places old buildings are being used as schools but in many villages, the Government has built buildings using central funds under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
Why did the government take time to solve the teachers’ problems and let school education suffer?
Well, I don’t know what happened before I took charge of the office. But the Government did solve the problem and teachers will get salary with cent per cent hike from July. Our chief minister, Dr Mukul Sangma, kept his promise and I am lucky to be his Cabinet minister.
Many colleges in Garo Hills do not have commerce…
Who said? Important towns like Williamnagar and Tura have commerce colleges. Many villages too have commerce colleges.
MBoSE is being pilloried by all after the results leak. Also, this coincided with the board ranking fourth among the top 10 Futuristic School Boards in India. How does it affect its credibility?
It was not a good thing to happen and definitely lessens the credibility of the board. But my colleagues in the department are hard-working and they promptly ordered a probe into the fiasco. These leaks, be it results or question papers, are causes for concern and these should not happen. Again, as I said earlier, we have to work together so that the board (which is an autonomous body and I do not directly deal with it) too becomes a role model for other states to follow.
MBoSE wants to revise the syllabus of HSSLC. What kind of changes?
Not everything. As and when it is required, we will do that depending on the changing time.
What are the challenges in implementing new ideas?
Education department is a challenging section. It is like a chronic disease and fun too. I believe there is solution to every problem. But there should be a collective responsibility of the government, teachers, students and parents to better things.
