SHILLONG, June 24: In a marked change of stance, the MDA Government has admitted to issues in the state’s education sector, with Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma conceding that Meghalaya’s latest showing in the national Performance Grading Index (PGI) was “a very difficult situation”.
Sangma’s stance was remarkably different from his cabinet colleague and Education minister Rakkam A Sangma who had blamed obsolete data and the past regimes for the state’s dismal PGI ranking.
The CM neither blames previous governments nor dismissed the report. He maintained that the state government will treat the poor ranking as a spur rather than a setback.
“Reports like these only make us want to work harder. I am confident that with the team we have and the interventions underway, we will show significant improvement in the coming years,” he declared. He insisted that sweeping reforms were under way and it was a matter of time before the positive changes register in the country-wide rankings.
“I have always said that education is a very sticky issue like economics. Whatever reforms we initiate, their impact takes time to show, sometimes it may take years,” he said.
Sangma conceded that the PGI report offers little consolation, but he urged observers to recognise the long gestation period inherent in the education policy.
“We are disappointed that we haven’t improved our ranking. But it’s not for lack of effort,” he said.
“We’ve introduced structural changes for instance, aligning to CBSE standards, updating textbooks, and improving infrastructure. The benefits of these changes will begin to reflect in future PGI assessments,” he pointed out.
Drawing parallels with other sectors that once lagged but have since shown progress, he remarked, “Whether it is sports, tourism, health, or entrepreneurship, it has taken time, but we are now seeing positive results. Education will also follow this trajectory. We’re moving in the right direction.”
