By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 12: The high dropout rate among college students and the poor NAAC accreditation record in Meghalaya emerged as key concerns at a review meeting of the State Higher Education Council, chaired by Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui, on Wednesday.
The Minister said the meeting was convened to assess the Council’s progress since its formation in 2018 and to identify new areas of intervention. Senior officials, including the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the State University, the Commissioner and Secretary of Education, and council members, attended the session.
Rymbui underlined that the State government’s focus remains on improving the quality and accessibility of higher education. “The dropout rate continues to be a serious issue. Accessibility, financial constraints, and scholarship gaps are contributing factors,” he said.
He noted that while efforts have been made to expand access through the establishment of the State University, an engineering college, and government-funded colleges across districts, financial aid remains inadequate for many students.
He said that before 2020, scholarship amounts were considerably low, but subsequent revisions linked to marks and courses have improved the situation. However, he pointed out that certain central schemes still have gaps that prevent eligible students from availing of the benefits.
“We wrote to the Centre in 2022 to reduce the gap so that more students can benefit,” Rymbui added.
On the issue of quality, the minister revealed that only 25 colleges in the State are currently NAAC-accredited, while 71 others — both government and private — are yet to obtain accreditation. The Council will soon direct all such colleges to initiate the NAAC process, he said.
“If we want quality education, accreditation is essential. The Council will recommend that the government strengthen the State-Level Quality Assessment Committee to make it active and beneficial for students,” Rymbui said.
The Council also decided to request additional funds from the government to assist colleges in meeting the expenses of NAAC accreditation. “If we receive the additional corpus, we will help some colleges undergo accreditation,” Rymbui said.
He noted that since 2018, four government colleges have achieved accreditation. He emphasised that while the government provides aid and grants, the responsibility to meet the required standards rests primarily with the governing councils of individual institutions.
The meeting also discussed the implementation of the National Education Policy, affiliation of colleges to the State University, and the predominance of the arts stream among students. “Eighty-three per cent of our students opt for the arts. We are discussing how to encourage more students to take up commerce and science,” Rymbui stated.
He acknowledged that 95 per cent of the department’s funds go towards salaries, leaving limited scope for other interventions. “We are happy that the Chief Minister is trying to help us, and we hope to meet the aspirations of our students,” he said.
The Council resolved to revive the dormant State-Level Assessment Committee to ensure it functions in line with mandated norms and to guide institutions in preparing for NAAC accreditation. Rymbui said such meetings will now be held periodically to monitor progress and address emerging challenges in the higher education sector.
