SHILLONG, April 16: Amidst a barrage of criticism against CM Impact guidebooks, senior BJP MLA Sanbor Shullai has come out in defence of this initiative, while slamming those ridiculing the books.
Hailing the government’s effort to boost the state’s overall pass percentage, Shullai said that the initiative has helped the socio-economically disadvantaged students, who cannot afford to go to private institutes and take tuitions.
Defending the CM Impact guidebook initiative, Shullai said that many students, who are average or below average academically, were benefitted and this initiative helped them to prepare well and clear their exams.
Crediting the guidebooks for the increase in pass percentage, Shullai expressed hope that with such measures, the state will be able to reach 100 per cent literacy rate.
“For below average students even to pass the exams is in itself a big achievement and those below average students can apply for Grade-D post in various state and central government jobs including home police and central forces where minimum criteria is 10th passed,” he said, while slamming the critics for trying to hype the issue.
“Education is not only for the learned scholars and professionals, but also meaningful for those who are working in different sectors with greater benefits for the deprived sections,” he said.
Among latest to criticise the guidebooks was Tura MP Saleng Sangma, who called the government interventions a “desperate attempt to gain attention.”
The Tura MP had strongly criticised the NPP-led MDA government, accusing it of compromising Meghalaya’s education system under the guise of improving pass percentages.
The VPP, on the other hand, has called for scrappage of the guidebooks.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has, however, maintained a defensive stance on the issue. He defended the CM IMPACT initiative amidst growing criticism, calling the record 87.10% SSLC pass percentage “one of the most fulfilling moments” of his tenure.
Justifying the guidebooks, the CM had stated that the textbooks were inspired by strategies used in high-stakes competitive exams such as the Civil Services, IIT, IIM, NEET, and GMAT, where students familiarise themselves with previous question formats.
