SHILLONG: A youth council unit of Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills has raised several critical issues regarding the state of education in the district, saying that the future of the students in the region are in jeopardy.
In a letter to the state Education Minister, Rakkam Sangma on Friday, West Khasi Hills District Unit of Hynniewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC), shed light on an array of pressing issues relating to education in the region.
Foremost among the concerns is the glaring shortage of qualified teachers across the district’s lower primary schools.
The council said that of the approximately 90 government-run schools catering to students from Nursery to Class V, many are forced to make do with just one or two teachers overseeing the entire school.
“In a school situated in Athiabari, West Khasi Hills, despite its LP designation, the government has appointed only a single teacher for pre-primary students. Shockingly, this lone educator is burdened with the task of instructing students across all grade levels,” they said in the letter, adding that such disparities in the student-teacher ratio are affecting the whole district.
The council also informed Minister Sangma about the parallel challenges faced by four upper primary schools in the district.
Taking the case of the Sib Sing Memorial Government School, they noted the persistent staffing crises in the school’s higher secondary section since 1995.
“Here, pivotal subjects, like Mathematics, have suffered due to the lack of teachers. This void has restricted students’ academic performances. We advocate for the swift appointment of permanent, qualified educators to bridge these chasms,” they said.
Furthermore, a bleak picture was painted regarding the infrastructure of these educational institutions. “The vast majority of government school buildings across the district are grappling with dilapidation. This, combined with a stark deficiency in essential amenities and furniture, compounds the adversities faced by these institutions,” they said.
