The party raised alarms over the state’s crumbling digital infrastructure, noting that only 19.7% of schools have computer access, among the lowest in India
SHILLONG, June 25: The Meghalaya Congress on Thursday slammed the state’s “facade” of educational progress, questioning a suspicious 34% spike in board exam pass rates and flagging a digital crisis where nearly 80% of local schools remain without computer access.
Addressing a press conference, Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) secretary Manuel Badwar argued that while the state celebrates record-breaking results to improve its Performance Grading Index, the reality in rural classrooms remains a “digital dark age.”
Badwar highlighted a sharp rise in pass percentages—from approximately 57% to nearly 90% within a single year—stating the jump warrants closer scrutiny. He further criticised the government’s reliance on the “Chief Minister’s Guidebooks,” suggesting they promote rote memorisation over critical thinking and serve more as a branding exercise than an educational tool.
The party raised alarms over the state’s crumbling digital infrastructure, noting that only 19.7% of schools have computer access, among the lowest in India. This gap, the MPCC said, has left rural students unable to compete in national-level entrance exams like CUET or NEET, which are increasingly conducted online.
“We have seen instances where students failed to complete online applications or missed admissions due to poor internet connectivity at common service centres,” Badwar said. He specifically cited the case of a student who qualified for an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) but was unable to pursue the opportunity due to financial constraints and procedural hurdles.
The Congress also pointed to the increasing administrative burden on teachers, which they claim is stripping away time from actual classroom instruction. The MPCC urged the state government to take direct responsibility for infrastructure and learning outcomes rather than relying solely on central schemes.
Moving beyond political rhetoric, the party appealed for a closer audit of rural schools, where students continue to miss life-changing opportunities because they lack basic access to a keyboard or a stable internet connection.
