SHILLONG: Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram on Saturday termed Meghalaya as a new economic power and praised the education system for being instrumental in its steady growth.
“The educational institutes including St Anthony’s continue to provide quality education not only for the present generation but also for the posterity,” said Oram, who dedicated the newly constructed Rev Fr DJ Wollaston (Annexe) building of St Anthony’s College in presence of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and chairman of the Meghalaya Planning Board Lambor Malgniang.
Inaugurating the newly constructed building on the college campus, which has digital learning centre, Oram congratulated the institution for providing exceptional education service to the students of Meghalaya in particular and the North East in general.
Highlighting the immense contribution of St Anthony’s College and for taking up challenges to better the facilities year after year, Sangma said, “It is never easy when you do not know where your resources will come from. But St Anthony’s college took up the project with a vision and ensured its success. I put my word of appreciation to the college authorities for making the project a great success.”
On the role of Salesians, Sangma said quoting his late father PA Sangma’s core thrust on education that education is the agent of change.
“PA Sangma instilled the idea and the goal that if we have to take Meghalaya forward and change the future of the state and its children it has to be through education,” he added.
Terming the inauguration as a historic day, the chief minister spoke at length about the triple helix model which talks about the economy of the state even as he added that there must be equal participation by the government, educational research institutions and industries, “which is not happening today”.
Sangma also felt the need for skilled human resources. “Unless we have a proper policy to harness and groom our talents we will not be able to take maximum advantage of the infrastructure we create,” he added.
The annexe building has been constructed at a cost of Rs 7 crore.
The Wollaston Annexe at St Anthony’s College has 27 classrooms along with laboratories, three departmental offices and one executive conference hall.
An array of cultural programmes by the students of the college was also held as part of the function.
