SHILLONG, June 9: Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Tuesday said he was confident that Meghalaya’s ranking in the Ministry of Education’s Performance Grading Index (PGI) would improve significantly in the coming years.
Meghalaya was the lowest-performing state in the country with a score of 417.9 points out of a possible 1,000 in PGI 2.0.
Talking to reporters, Rymbui said the focus should not be solely on the ranking but also on the efforts being made to strengthen the education sector.
“The important question is whether the government has done anything to address the challenges in the education sector. The answer is yes. There has been a consistent improvement in scores over the years,” he claimed.
He was confident that Meghalaya’s performance in the PGI 2026-27 assessments would improve vastly due to the extensive reforms undertaken by the government in the past eight years.
According to Rymbui, the government’s initiatives have not been aimed merely at improving PGI scores but at enhancing the overall quality of education, student and teacher welfare, accessibility, and other key aspects of the education system.
He said officials, teachers, administrators, and all stakeholders in the Education Department were working continuously to improve learning outcomes and educational standards.
He urged people not to view PGI merely as a scorecard but as an opportunity to assess and improve schools and the education system. He reiterated that the government’s core objective remained providing quality education to students across the state.
AI in education
Rymbui said the state government was actively exploring ways to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies into the state’s education system, even as he acknowledged the challenges involved in implementing such changes.
Responding to a question on whether the government has any plans to introduce AI as a subject in schools and colleges, Rymbui said the state must keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies and modern teaching methods.
“We have to catch up and not only catch up, but also move with new-age technology and new-age ways of teaching. That is why, we are trying to bring about change,” he said.
However, the minister noted that introducing AI into the curriculum is easier said than done and would require partnerships and careful planning. He pointed out that if AI were to be introduced as a subject across schools, the government would also need qualified teachers and adequate resources to deliver the curriculum effectively.
Rymbui emphasised that while the government cannot appoint “AI teachers” or “AI professors,” technology can be used wherever possible to enhance learning and teaching outcomes.
He observed that technology evolves rapidly and that innovations considered cutting-edge today may become obsolete within the next decade. Nevertheless, he stressed the importance of moving forward and adapting to technological advancements.
He said the need to expand learning in emerging technologies was recognised not only by the Meghalaya government but also by the Government of India. He added that all options remained open and that the state would continue exploring the best way forward in integrating AI and other modern technologies into education.
“Everything is on the table, but we have to move ahead. How exactly we move ahead, we will know in the future,” he said.
