From Our Correspondent
TURA, June 21: The Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC) has come down heavily on the Conrad K Sangma-led MDA government, accusing it of pushing the state into an “education crisis” and expressing deep concern over Meghalaya’s poor ranking in the latest Performance Grading Index (PGI) released by the Union Ministry of Education.
According to the Ministry’s 2023–2024 Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D), which evaluates school education at the district level, Meghalaya scored only 417 points and was placed in the lowest national category—Grade Akanshi-3.
Terming the ranking as “humiliating,” MPYC president Timjim K Momin, in a press release on Saturday, said that it highlights the government’s complete failure to deliver quality education to the youth of Meghalaya. He asserted that the state’s dismal performance reflects gross mismanagement and a string of broken promises by the present administration.
Despite repeated announcements about reforms and investments in education, Momin pointed out that hundreds of teaching positions remain vacant across the state. Many schools, especially in rural and remote regions, continue to function without basic infrastructure such as electricity, functional toilets, proper desks, or sufficient learning materials. He further noted that teacher morale has plummeted due to the lack of professional training, delayed salaries, and an absence of institutional support.
He described the PGI ranking as a damning indictment of the government’s failure and a betrayal of the trust placed in it by students, parents, and educators. What is even more alarming, he added, is the government’s attempt to cover up its failures by resorting to superficial and short-term measures. Referring to this year’s SSLC exam results, hailed by the government as a historic success with an 87.10% pass rate, Momin raised serious doubts. He pointed out that the sudden spike from the usual 55–57% pass rate to over 87% has been largely attributed to the controversial “CM IMPACT” guidebook. According to him, many educationists and observers have described the guidebook as a form of “legalised cheating,” as questions in the exams were reportedly lifted directly from the government-distributed material.
While acknowledging the jump in pass percentages, MPYC argued that actual learning outcomes and student readiness for higher education have been severely compromised. Momin warned that such misguided tactics may leave thousands of students unprepared for academic and professional challenges ahead.
He stressed that the crisis in Meghalaya’s education system runs deeper than rankings or exam results. According to him, persistent neglect of school infrastructure, inadequate recruitment of teachers, lack of training, and policy confusion—especially surrounding the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020—have critically undermined the quality of education. He also questioned the functioning of the State Education Commission established by the government in 2023, calling it a non-functional body. He noted that the Commission has neither released any public reports nor introduced visible reforms, and asked whether it was genuinely working or merely a symbolic gesture to deflect criticism.
In view of these issues, Momin demanded full transparency from the government regarding the State Education Commission’s work, including the publication of its findings, recommendations, and actual outcomes. He also called for an independent and impartial review of the “CM IMPACT” guidebook by education experts to assess its real impact on student learning, and urged that any follow-up actions should be based on objective evidence rather than political convenience.
Furthermore, he pressed the government to demonstrate genuine commitment to systemic reforms by investing in robust teacher training programmes, filling all vacant teaching positions, restoring meaningful school inspections and departmental oversight, and introducing a strict accountability mechanism within the Education department. He suggested the publication of an annual “State of Education” report or white paper that would detail the status of teacher recruitment, infrastructure development, fund utilisation, and policy implementation.
“The future of Meghalaya depends on the quality of education we provide to our children today,” Momin said. He reaffirmed the MPYC’s commitment to stand with students, parents, and teachers, adding that the organisation will continue to demand accountability and press for systemic reforms until real and lasting improvements are achieved.