Tura, Aug 5: In an effort to tackle the alarming increase in school drop-out rates in Garo Hills, a consultative meeting was convened on Saturday by Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma and attended by elementary school teachers and officials from Education department of Garo Hills region and the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBoSE), Tura, at Circuit House here.
The meeting focused on the underlying reasons contributing to the drop-out rates and to formulate effective strategies to improve the educational scenario in the region.
Initiating the discussion, the Education minister informed the attendees that the drop-out rate of school students has been comparatively high in both primary and secondary level which is posing a significant challenge to the progress and development of the region. He added that proactive steps should be taken to find a solution which will foster a positive learning environment by ensuring quality education to children.
The Education minister also mentioned that all the government schools and teachers will be mapped and uniform teaching modules would be provided in the coming days so as to ensure better education facilities to children and urged the teachers to take it as a responsibility and teach with dedication.
During the consultative meeting, an open discussion was also facilitated between the minister, school teachers and officials, all of whom contributed their valuable insights and experiences and collectively identified several potential reasons contributing to the high drop-out rates in the area.
Infrastructural challenges, urban migration, single and untrained teachers, socio economic factors, quality of education were among few factors that force the students to leave school prematurely.
Principal of Educere Secondary School, Williamnagar, Gamchi TR Marak, spoke about the learning outcomes of the students and motivated the teachers to inculcate dedication and determination and also upgrade their pedagogical skills to improve the quality of education in the region. She also stressed on the involvement of the community by encouraging parents and local communities to actively participate in the education system and thereby creating a conducive environment for student’s growth.
Meanwhile, Executive Chairman, MBoSE, Tura, Ambrose Ch Marak, Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills, Jagdish Chelani, Chairman, Tura Municipal Board, JD Sangma, Additional Deputy Commissioner, WGH, Rezia Ch Sangma, Principal of Don Bosco College, Rev. Fr Threnius Sangma, besides officials from Education department, MBoSE, DIET, Tura, also shared their valuable suggestions to improve the overall educational scenario in Garo Hills.
Infrastructure development, curriculum adaptation, teacher training, strengthening support system are few of the potential solutions that came up after the threadbare discussion during the consultative meeting and the minister pledged full support to transform the education sector in the region.
