Editor,
I am a 15 year old student. Today, I am proud to share that I passed my Board Exams in First Division, with an overall score of 87%, and I received letters in all subjects. I am incredibly thankful to God for this achievement and deeply grateful to my teachers at Synod Hr. Secondary School who have guided and supported me throughout this journey.
This achievement means a lot to me—not just because of the marks, but because it reflects the effort I have put in over the past year. I have worked very hard because I have a clear dream for my future. I want to become an IPS officer, and I know that the path will not be easy. But I believe that with hard work, discipline, and the right guidance, I can achieve my goal.
This year, I noticed that the pass percentage for the board exams has been much higher compared to previous years. It’s great to see so many students doing well, and it makes me happy to see my friends and classmates succeed. However, I’ve also heard many people saying things like, “It’s just quantity, not quality.” And to be honest, that makes me a little scared.
What if what they’re saying is true? What if we’re not being prepared well enough to face the real challenges ahead? What if we’re passing the exams but not truly learning what we need to? These questions stay in my mind. I want to believe that our education is strong, that we’re building the right foundation for our future. And in many ways, I believe we are. I’ve seen how hard our teachers are working. I’ve seen them stay back to explain lessons, to prepare us, and to support us whenever we need help. I respect them so much for that. They are trying their best to help us reach our goals.
But sometimes, even with all that effort, we need more. The world is changing fast. The competition is getting tougher, especially for exams like the UPSC, NEET, JEE, and others that students like me dream of cracking. If we really want to be ready, we need strong and updated teaching methods, better resources, and more training for our teachers. We need exposure to competitive environments from an early stage.
So today, I want to make a small request—not just for myself, but for thousands of students like me. I ask our Government, our Education Department, and all those in leadership to please invest more in the quality of education, especially in our region. Help us to be prepared not just to pass exams, but to face the real world. Help our teachers so that they can help us even better. Help us to grow into the leaders, officers, professionals, and responsible citizens that our country needs.
We students are not afraid to work hard. We are ready to dream big. But we need your support to turn those dreams into reality. With the right guidance, there is nothing we cannot achieve.
This is the voice of a student who wants to grow, serve, and make a difference.
Yours etc.,
Iwannaki L Khongji,
Via email
How mobile services are failing consumers
Editor,
This is a follow-up to Salil Gewali’s letter to the editor dated March 31, 2025 in The Shillong Times, titled, “Calling out the abysmally poor Jio mobile service.” It highlights the extremely poor service provided by RELIANCE JIO, AIRTEL, VODAFONE, and BSNL, which are telecom companies we are unfortunately forced to depend on.
Their failure to deliver the high-speed data and reliable services they promise has caused serious dissatisfaction and inconvenience among the general public. For the past week, Jio’s service has further gone down, with many phone calls having no audibility at all.
Gewali’s experience is not an isolated case, and it is important to recognize the growing frustration caused by such substandard services. The fact that telecom companies continue to sell recharge plans that fail to meet basic expectations shows a serious lack of accountability.
By speaking out, Gewali has voiced the concerns of many silent users and started an important conversation about the need for improvement. His letter makes us all aware that consumers deserve honesty and transparency from their service providers. It is also essential for consumers to unite and demand better services from telecom providers. By doing so, we can move toward a more accountable and customer-focused telecom industry.
Let us continue to raise our voices and advocate for meaningful change. It is the public’s democratic right. We owe it to ourselves and future generations to demand fair treatment and hold these companies accountable for their hidden agenda of making money without improving services.
Yours etc.,
Andrew L. Mawphlang,
Shillong – 6
Delay in project implementation
Editor,
Apropos of the news “Scrapped rly project: M’laya to return Rs 209.37 crore to Centre” (ST April 7, 2025) made interesting reading. It is appropriate that the Government of Meghalaya has decided to return the Rs 209.37 crore to the Centre for the project that has not taken off. It may be recalled that recently the Government of India requested the return of Rs 98,000 crore in unspent funds due to inefficiencies in fund utilization by state agencies. These funds were allocated for various welfare schemes, such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, and Swachh Bharat Mission, but remained idle in state accounts.
Reasons for this include bureaucratic delays, procedural bottlenecks, and mismatched priorities between the Union and State governments. Additionally, some funds were withheld due to political disagreements, such as Tamil Nadu’s rejection of the National Education Policy. The request to return unutilised funds by the Government of India is a pragmatic step to ensure that public funds are utilized effectively and don’t remain idle. However, it also highlights deeper issues in governance, such as bureaucratic inefficiencies and mismatched priorities between Union and State governments. Addressing these systemic challenges might be just as important as reclaiming the funds.
A day ago, the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) foreclosed five projects in Assam due to delays and incomplete work. For example, the Bongaigaon Town Water Supply Scheme, sanctioned in 2011, was only partially operational, and other projects faced similar issues. While this decision ensures accountability and prevents further misuse of funds, it also highlights challenges in project execution due to poor governance at the last mile – the Block level and also lack of timely oversight.
Whether it is the right move depends on how effectively the funds are redirected and whether lessons are learned to improve future project management. Stricter measures could include regular progress audits, penalties for delays, and incentives for timely completion. Improved monitoring and better coordination between agencies might also ensure these projects stay on track. When projects like these which bring real benefits to communities are implemented there is need for stronger measures and strict monitoring systems in place. The Union Government has a duty to ensure that public money is well spent and projects are executed without time and cost overruns.
Yours etc;
VK Lyngdoh
Via email