By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 5: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) on Sunday accused the MDA government of attempting to “scapegoat” rural grant-in-aid schools to mask its own failures, warning that a decade-long funding freeze has pushed the state’s education system to the brink of collapse.
VPP spokesperson Dr AW Rani said the crisis is systemic, affecting government, deficit, ad-hoc, and SSA schools alike. He argued that grant-in-aid institutions—private or community schools that receive government support—only emerged because the state failed to build enough schools of its own.
“Attributing the crisis to any single category of school is misleading and dangerous,” Rani said, adding that these institutions are the backbone of education for thousands of students in areas the government has neglected.
The VPP’s reaction follows remarks by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who recently noted that Meghalaya is the only state funding private institutions. The party countered that this funding is not a luxury but a necessity caused by gaps in the public system. Rani warned that withdrawing support without a viable alternative would worsen the crisis, questioning if the government has the infrastructure or staff to replace these schools.
The scale of the neglect was further highlighted by the Meghalaya Schools Welfare Development Association (MSWDA), which revealed that the state has effectively frozen financial lifelines for newly established “permitted” secondary schools since 2014.
This freeze has forced teachers to survive on meager salaries funded by fees from rural parents who often struggle to afford basic necessities. MSWDA president HM Marbaniang noted a “staffing emergency,” with some schools operating with only one or two teachers because recruitment has stalled.
The association also pointed to a policy gap where the government provides “Science Grants” but ignores general subjects like history and languages, leaving those teachers without any state support.
Regional disparities are also surfacing in the crisis. Data from the MSWDA shows that out of 1,544 SSA schools facing bureaucratic “No Objection Certificate” (NOC) disputes, 1,434 are located in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, while only 110 are in the Garo Hills. These disputes often involve a struggle for control between local communities who built the schools and a government that refuses to provide adequate funding.
Despite multiple petitions to the Education Minister and the Chief Minister throughout 2025, the MSWDA claims it has received no response.
To discuss the survival of the rural education system, the association has called a general meeting for all school management committees, principals, and teachers on April 6 at 11:00 am at the Khasi National Durbar Hall, Mawkhar.
