NEW DELHI, April 27: A Rs 546-crore loan sanctioned by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) last year for education and skill development in Meghalaya is facilitating infrastructure upgrades in as many as 65 secondary schools and ten industrial training institutes in the state, according to official sources here on Sunday.
A significant portion of the ADB loan was to focus on improving Meghalaya’s secondary and higher secondary school infrastructure.
The project aims to upgrade 65 government schools, transforming 34 of them into “model schools” with safe, climate-resilient, and inclusive infrastructure.
These measures are also aimed to stop the issue of a high dropout rate of 21.7% at the secondary level. As far as skill development is concerned, one of the most transformative components of the ADB loan is the establishment of the Meghalaya Skills and Innovation Hub (MSIH).
This residential training facility will serve as a centre for advanced technical and vocational education. It will focus on providing training in IT, cybersecurity, tourism, and other sectors critical to the state’s growth.
Given Meghalaya’s vulnerability to climate-induced disruptions like landslides and floods, the project includes disaster preparedness measures for schools and training institutions.
Schools with solar powers will be equipped with emergency response plans, and infrastructure will be climate-resilient to withstand extreme weather events.
