SHILLONG, Dec 27: Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma on Wednesday cautioned educational institutes from getting involved in “business” and said that the goal of an educational institution should be to serve the poor and those in need, as stated by the founding fathers of the various institutions.
“There are many government-aided institutions in Shillong city and the state where the government is spending Rs 5 crore -6 crore per month for salaries for some colleges but they are charging huge fees from the students at all levels,” Sangma observed.
The Education Minister made this statement while speaking about the many complaints regarding the extremely high school and college fees in the state.
“Two things should not happen in education: politics and business,” he declared. Businesses and politics shouldn’t be involved in the management of state-run educational institutions since their purpose is to serve the public and prepare them for the future, Sangma pointed out.
“The missionaries did not come to the state just for the gospel; they also came to give education,” he said, emphasising that the various institutions should also understand the burden of the parents, especially of the needy.
“Although they set up a number of schools, colleges, and other institutions to help those from our state’s impoverished backgrounds receive an education, the institutions’ current standards are now so magnificent that they can be taken advantage of,” he stated.
“Sometimes we overlook the fact that the founding fathers of these institutions set forth specific goals, among them the provision of education to state students from low-income backgrounds. The people’s minds should still be ignited by that spirit of service, he said.
“The goal of education is to educate the masses; business and politics should not be involved,” he reiterated.
