By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 23: After more than seven years in power, the NPP-led MDA government continues to blame previous administrations for the ongoing challenges in the state’s education sector.
The latest blame game follows the Education Ministry’s Performance Grading Index (PGI) report for 2023-24, which ranked Meghalaya as the lowest-performing state in school education.
In an initial response to this report, Education Minister Rakkam A. Sangma blamed technicalities and structural challenges for the state’s poor performance. He explained that the data considered for the ranking was outdated and did not accurately reflect improvements currently underway.
However, in a fresh reaction on Monday, Sangma pinned the blame on past governments, claiming that successive regimes over the last 20 to 30 years made no serious effort to reform the education system or improve infrastructure.
“There was no electricity, no blackboard, no classrooms. The buildings were in a dilapidated condition, enrolment was low, and many teachers didn’t attend school,” he said, explaining the state’s poor performance in the PGI.
The minister accused previous governments of failing to lay a solid foundation for quality education, alleging that their neglect continues to impact the system even today.
Blaming past governments is not new in Meghalaya politics. The ruling MDA has frequently cited legacy issues when confronted with negative data or setbacks across sectors.
Sangma highlighted the initiatives undertaken by the MDA government, claiming that in the last two to three years, more than 2,700 schools have been renovated, and 700-800 schools have received new infrastructure, including toilets, smart classrooms, and better teacher attendance systems.
He maintained that the impact of these reforms will take time to reflect in national indicators like the PGI and expressed optimism that the figures would improve over the next two to three years.
Sangma also questioned the accuracy of the PGI assessment, pointing to methodological flaws in data interpretation. He explained that multiple categories of schools—SSA, ad-hoc, deficit, RMSA, and private—often share the same campus and infrastructure but are counted as separate entities under a single UDI (Unique Digital Identifier).
“On one campus, you may have five different schools using the same library, toilets, classrooms, power, and playground. But if the infrastructure is calculated separately for each school under the same UDI, it distorts the actual percentage. For example, instead of showing 100% access to electricity, it may reflect only 20-22%,” he elaborated.
Sangma also defended Meghalaya’s environmental context, arguing that while states like Rajasthan may require air conditioning in classrooms, Meghalaya’s temperate climate makes such installations unnecessary. However, this nuance is often overlooked in national-level evaluations, he said.
In conclusion, the minister reiterated the government’s commitment to improving education and ensuring that all students have access to quality infrastructure and learning environments.