SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has acknowledged a proposal of Ampersand Group to incorporate digital and technological innovations in the education system in Meghalaya.
Reacting to the proposal, Sangma acknowledged the Group’s efforts and directed the state Education department to take the discussions forward in a tweet recently.
“The chief minister’s commitment to improve the quality of education is noteworthy and his vision of transform nearly 6,000 Anganwadi centres into ‘Centres of Joyful Learning’ will help lay a firm foundation for cognitive and social development of every child while the technology led intervention will provide an alternate opportunity for dropouts to go back to learning,” said Rustom Kerawalla, Chairman of Ampersand Group.
“This intervention is particularly important to the first generation learners in rural areas and will enable their smooth transition to primary school. Further, Anganwadi centres would need adequate training for teachers on the latest pedagogical approaches along with focus on child nutrition to facilitate a smooth transition,” the Chairman of Ampersand Group added.
Committed to the larger cause of improving educational outcomes in the state, the chief minister is upbeat about the various initiatives and policies being undertaken, a statement, issued here on Sunday, said.
Ampersand Group is a public-private partnership (PPP) entity in the national and local government’s endeavour of transforming the state of education and infrastructure.
The chief minister remains committed to the cause of early childhood education, which is a key priority for Meghalaya. However, various challenges need to be addressed on a priority basis, including lack of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, untrained staff, low quality of learning outcomes and urban-rural disparity, to list a few, the statement said.