SHILLONG, July 1: Education Minister Rakkam Sangma has pinned blame on previous governments for allegedly failing to construct and renovate school buildings in the state.
The education minister’s reaction came in the wake of the state government facing criticism and mockery over a viral video that shows students studying in the rain under a broken roof.
Sangma said that in the last 20-30 years, the previous governments neither constructed new school buildings nor repaired existing ones. He added that it was the MDA Government that decided to renovate all schools across Meghalaya.
According to the education minister, the government has already constructed many schools under Phases 1, 2, and 3 of the Education Mission and is now waiting for necessary funds to roll out the fourth phase of the mission.
He also informed that officers and headmasters of schools requiring renovation have been asked to submit proposals on a priority basis.
Meanwhile, Sangma promised that the academic session at the newly constructed Shillong Engineering College will begin by August.
Informing that the admission process has started, he stated that this year the student intake will be 30, and two courses, viz. Civil Engineering and Electrical Engineering will begin this year.
According to the education minister, the infrastructure and some faculty are already in place with necessary permissions from AICTE.
Meanwhile, the admission process for Captain Williamson Sangma State University will begin this year, with the government waiting for the sixth-semester degree courses to conclude. The state government will also run postgraduate courses at the Shillong campus of the university.
