SHILLONG, Sep 3: Meghalaya’s education system is at a critical juncture, struggling to bridge the widening gap between escalating financial investments and disappointing educational outcomes.
Despite a steady increase in funds directed towards the sector over the past five years, the state remains rooted at the bottom of the Ministry of Education’s Performance Grading Index (PGI), casting a shadow over its educational future.
The PGI, which evaluates states across several domains including Learning Outcomes, Teacher Education & Training, and Infrastructure, placed Meghalaya at the very bottom among all states in the 2021-22 rankings.
For the past five years, Meghalaya has consistently been in one of the lowest two positions, raising serious concerns about the effectiveness of its education system. This troubling trend persists even as per-child spending under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) rose from Rs 12,971 in 2018 to Rs 14,672 in 2023-24.
The stark contrast between increased financial inputs and stagnating or declining educational outcomes points to deep-rooted inefficiencies within the system.
Between 2018 and 2023, Meghalaya was allocated Rs 2,105 crore under the SSA, with over 75% of this amount being released by the Centre. This is significantly higher than the national average release rate of 69%, reflecting that while the state is able to secure central funds, it is unable to channel it in the right direction.
In addition to SSA funds, the state government has also ramped up its own spending on education. The state’s education budget as a percentage of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has grown from 5.68% in 2019 to 6.3% in 2024. Ideally, this consistent increase in educational expenditure should have translated into better learning outcomes. Yet, the reality is one of severe learning deficits.
Independent surveys, such as the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), reveal a worrying decline in educational standards.
The percentage of grade 5 students in government schools in Meghalaya, who can read a basic grade 2 level text, fell from 38.9% in 2018 to 29.1% in 2022, a decline of nearly 10%. The same parameter for private schools stood at 47.6% in 2022, showing how learning levels of government school students are being disproportionately impacted.
The ASER report also shows a dismal picture in foundational numeracy – a mere 10.1% grade 5 students in government schools are able to solve basic arithmetic division problems. The same for private schools stood at 13%. The government’s own National Achievement Survey 2021 showed similar results. Across grade levels, students in Meghalaya scored 48% in Language (national average 57%), 33% in Mathematics (national average 42%) and 27% in Modern Indian Language (national average 41%). Thus, both government and non-government data show a very sorry state of affairs in the state’s education system. It is imperative that large-scale interventions are made urgently.
Meghalaya has scored lower than the national average on every single domain of PGI every single year since 2017 when the index was introduced. In the Learning Outcomes domain, the condition of the state has severely declined in the last 5 years, from being ranked 25th in 2017-18 to 36th (lowest) in 2021-22.
An additional problem is Meghalaya’s rising reliance on external financial aid.
It initially was beneficial but it is now increasingly steering the state towards an unsustainable debt burden. The state’s dependency on organisations like World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has led to a financial commitment of nearly $1.07 billion across multiple sectors. However, this reliance comes with serious consequences, as the state’s debt levels have surged to alarming heights.
As of 2023, Meghalaya’s total outstanding liabilities stood at a staggering Rs 18,845 crore, an increase of 185% from Rs 6,596 crore in 2014. The debt burden, as a percentage of the GSDP, was 44.1%, the fifth highest in the country. More concerning is the state’s outstanding liabilities as a percentage of its own revenue receipts, which hit 449% in 2023-24. This means that Meghalaya’s liabilities are nearly five times its revenue generation capabilities, clearly indicating a growing financial crisis.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has raised red flags in its State Finance Report 2021-22, warning that Meghalaya is on the brink of a potential debt trap. The report highlighted the state’s alarming debt levels, which increased by 63% from Rs 9,485 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 15,481 crore in 2021-22. As a percentage of GSDP, the debt rose from 32% to 41% over the same period.
Between 2017-18 and 2021-22, while Meghalaya’s GSDP grew at an average of 6.7%, its outstanding public debt surged at an average rate of 16.7%. This disparity shows that the state’s borrowing is outpacing its economic growth, further deepening its financial woes.
One glaring example of the inefficient use of external funds is the ADB-funded Early Childhood Development in Meghalaya Project, with a $40.5 million commitment. The project’s implementation was entrusted to the Early Childhood Development Mission Society (ECMS), a special purpose society under the Department of Social Welfare incorporated only in July 2021. With no prior experience in handling large-scale education projects or working with external organisations, ECMS’s involvement raises serious concerns.
The ADB itself flagged these concerns in its risk assessment for the project, identifying the society’s inexperience with ADB’s procurement policies and guidelines as a substantial risk, leading to potentially high transaction costs. More alarmingly, the risk assessment pointed to a “substantial risk of corruption occurring in procurement or misappropriation of funds.”
When the very agency funding the project highlights potential corruption and inefficiency, it points to the depth of mismanagement within the state.
The rising debt and ineffective use of external funds are stifling the future of Meghalaya’s children. With an education system mired in inefficiencies, learning outcomes remain dismal, leaving students ill-prepared for the workforce.
As these students enter the job market, their lack of critical skills will hinder productivity, further dragging down the state’s already struggling economy.
Meghalaya’s future, both in terms of its children’s education and its economic stability, hangs in the balance. The state’s growing debt and lacklustre management of external aid threaten to plunge it into a deeper financial crisis, one from which it may struggle to recover.
Without immediate and effective intervention, Meghalaya risks not only its financial health but the prospects of an entire generation.
