By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 20: BJP Meghalaya has expressed concern over Meghalaya securing the lowest rank in the latest Performing Grade Index (PGI) report 2023-24, which assesses school education at the district level, and has asked the MDA Government to ensure immediate course correction by starting right at the bottom.
BJP Meghalaya spokesperson Mariahom Kharkrang said the government needs to start reorganising the education sector right from the lower primary level to improve the state’s future rankings.
This includes appointment of qualified teachers, provision of decent infrastructure and the need to make learning enjoyable which will give students a strong foundation as they climb higher, he said.
Kharkrang called for regular and surprise inspections of schools and urged the government to eliminate proxy teachers and ensure all schools are in decent condition, from the infrastructure point of view.
He made it clear that all developed countries started their journey by first investing in education, and urged the state government to follow suit.
Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma tried to explain the state’s poor performance by taking refuge of technicalities and structural challenges, while the TMC accused the government of shortcomings in delivery and intent.
Reacting to the PGI report, Sangma explained that the data considered for the ranking was based on outdated figures and does not accurately reflect the improvements currently underway.
The TMC, however, said the pathetic PGI ranking for Meghalaya was proof of the total failure of the Conrad Sangma-led MDA Government.
The opposition party argued that the recent increase in matriculation pass percentages is a result of mass promotions, intentional dilution of academic standards, and distribution of government-sponsored guidebooks, not genuine improvement.
The TMC also stated that artificial numbers cannot cover structural collapse, and that the PGI tells the real story of understaffed schools, demoralised teachers, broken infrastructure, and poor governance.
The party also asked the government to acknowledge the PGI findings honestly and demanded a white paper on teacher recruitment, infrastructure, fund utilisation, and NEP preparedness.