SHILLONG, June 25: In a fervent appeal, Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma on Tuesday beseeched all 60 legislators across party lines to adopt schools in the state and contribute to their upkeep and development.
“We request all the 60 MLAs to kindly adopt schools to repair and construct new buildings from their funds,” Sangma said. He also urged Tura MDC Bernard Marak to allocate funds for school construction in his area.
This appeal follows allegations of numerous schools in Sangma’s constituency being in poor condition. Responding to these claims, Sangma highlighted the government’s ongoing efforts to repair and construct school buildings over the past five years. “There are many such schools, and the government has done a lot of repairing and construction. We have been and will continue our efforts,” he emphasised.
Sangma criticised Bernard Marak for visiting only a few schools in the constituency, suggesting that Marak should adopt some schools in his area to aid in their development.
“I have used my MLA schemes for constructing schools and will continue to do so to the best of my ability,” he added. Concerns about the infrastructure of many government schools, particularly in the Garo Hills region, have been growing. An official from the state government confirmed that a program to repair and renovate dilapidated schools is already underway.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma previously informed the Assembly that funds collected for education, which had been used for other purposes, will now be dedicated to the construction or renovation of government schools. This decision is expected to benefit around 1,600 schools across the state.