SHILLONG: Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has made a clarion call for ensuring “zero percentage” dropouts from schools in the state.
Speaking at the programme to distribute M-Tabs among Class XII students in the state under its ambitious Student Digital Learning Aid Scheme here in Polo on Tuesday, Sangma rued that the government still faced the challenge of dropouts from schools.
Giving details, Sangma said, “We have struggled to fight back against the problem of school dropouts and dropout rates in the elementary and secondary levels have fallen significantly between 2006-07 and 2011-12 from 30 per cent to 9.5 per cent and from 39 per cent to 11.5 per cent respectively.” “We will continue to work out to ensure that the dropout rates come to 0 per cent,” he added.
“We have to ensure zero percentage dropouts in our state,” Sangma said.
Meanwhile, Sangma also rued that the state government could not distribute M-Tabs to Class XII students in the 2014-15 because of unexpected financial constraints arising out of the sudden ban on coal mining by the National Green Tribunal. He said the state must take advantage of the digital revolution taking place across the globe.
Giving an assurance that the scheme would continue next year, he informed that he has already earmarked funds for distribution of M-Tabs for 2017-18.
Earlier, the chief minister said the government wanted to ensure that the children from Meghalaya are empowered through the initiative and do not feel inferior to anyone. Asking students to invest time in studies, the chief minister even stressed on the need for students of every school to have good command over English and the vernacular language of the state.
Earlier, minister in-charge of information and tech-nology, Ampareen Lyngdoh informed that around 25,000 Class XII students in the state have been beneficiaries of the scheme.
She said, “Class XII is a big crossroad for students in their career and the students of Meghalaya are second to none.”
According to Lyngdoh, listed students from different schools, including central schools in the state, will be the beneficiaries. She said the course contents in M-Tabs have been simplified. She even advised students to study hard while asking them to use the tabs with caution and in a way to enrich their information.
