MAWKYRWAT, June 10: UDP leader and Mawkyrwat MLA, Renikton L Tongkhar, stated that the lack of proper infrastructure in government schools — such as buildings, toilets, playgrounds, campus fencing, and other essential facilities — has been a major factor contributing to Meghalaya’s poor ranking in the education sector, as highlighted in a recent study by the Government of India.
Tongkhar made this statement while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of the newly constructed school building of Nongbah Rangblang Government Lower Primary School at Nongbah Dommawthung village, located 20 km from Mawkyrwat in South West Khasi Hills.
The school building was constructed at a total cost of Rs 44.79 lakh under the Infrastructure Upgradation Project Phase-II, funded through a state scheme.
“The absence of proper school buildings, functional toilets, playgrounds, fencing, and other basic facilities has contributed to Meghalaya’s low rating in the education sector,” Tongkhar said. “The state government is now focused on improving infrastructure and facilities for the benefit of students and to uplift the overall standard of education, with the goal of achieving a better national rating in the near future.”
He also highlighted the issue of overlapping school managements, where SSA schools, lower primary schools, and upper primary schools often share the same building, yet suffer from inadequate infrastructure. This, he said, has further affected the state’s performance in education assessments.
Tongkhar informed that the MDA government is committed to reforming the education sector despite the challenges. He mentioned that a meeting had been convened by the Education Minister later in the evening, to be attended by 10-12 MLAs, to discuss ways to improve the education system.
Expressing optimism, Tongkhar said he hopes that one day people in the state will prefer government schools over private institutions. “At present, we must accept the reality that private schools outperform government schools in almost every area. Our goal is to reach a point where government schools match—and even surpass—the quality of private schools,” he added.
District School Education Officer of South West Khasi Hills, DG Nongsiej, also addressed the gathering during the event.
