SHILLONG: With a focus on human resource development, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the state government was having positive mindset about the youth, entrepreneurship, education and border trade and border ties.
He was speaking at the inaugural function of the International Inter-disciplinary Seminar on “Human Resource Development in South Asia: capabilities, challenges and prospects,” held at Synod College on Friday.
He said that the young generation was a great human resource in the region and promised to make efforts to involve the youth in all aspects of development and governance.
Sangma said that he would take the issues of the youth and youth policy ahead.
Education sector in shambles
Airing his views on education, he said that the state did not have an education policy even after 46-47 years of attaining statehood which is a basic requirement from a human resource development aspect.
“We cannot think what we can improve on because we don’t have the basics ready yet. So it is a huge challenge that we have. We need to know the direction and the way forward and the challenges we face in the education sector,” he said.
Stating that the education sector in the state is in shambles, he said, “It is sad to say this and we must face the truth.”
Elaborating further, he told the assemblage that 50 per cent primary schools did not have buildings, about 70-80 per cent of the primary schools did not have water supply and electricity.
He added almost about 80 per cent of teachers teaching in primary schools were untrained and there are about 1,100 posts of teachers lying vacant in primary schools.
Again, Sangma said that there were not enough colleges and there were only about 80-90 colleges registered in the Education Department in the state.
“Most of the Blocks and districts don’t have government colleges. Most of the blocks don’t have Higher Secondary Schools,” he said.
“We spent 90 per cent of the budget of the Education Department only on salaries which leaves only 10-5 per cent of the money for capital expenditure and building infrastructure. This is a massive challenge for us,” he said.
He added that he had asked the Education department to work on a war footing to get the Education policy formulated.
Government must not be in business: Conrad
According to Sangma, the state can move forward and develop if entrepreneurship develops while the responsibility of the government is to create the environment, policy and infrastructure to push for entrepreneurship.
He recalled the time that as an MBA student, he had written a paper on Meghalaya regarding the role of government to promote economic or push economic development and went into details of the state’s Industrial policy.
“I firmly believe that government must play the role of a facilitator. Government must not be in business. Government must work towards creating the environment for allowing the young generation and entrepreneurs to really come up with business. We cannot continue to build up businesses from our side,” he said.
Sangma said that the state government was working towards creating environment for entrepreneurship and would be taking steps this year itself to ensure that entrepreneurship came up.
In this connection, he urged the youth to take the risks and grab the chance.
Bilateral ties
Speaking on the countries bordering the state, Sangma said, “It is a challenge but the point is we cannot change our neighbors either. We have to work with our neighbours.”
He added that it was the government’s responsibility to come out with proper policies to ensure that youth, people of the state as well as across the border got the opportunity to have trade and business and boost the economy of both the sectors.B
“Bilateral ties and trade are very important,” he said.
Speaking about the South Asian countries, Sangma pointed out that the Human Resource Development model needed be looked into which would also be a real challenge that South Asian countries face.