Shillong: Meghalaya Education Minister Rakkam Sangma has emphasised the need to consolidate school categories in Meghalaya to improve the state’s Performance Grading Index (PGI) ranking.
Speaking after a consultative meeting with legislators from the United Democratic Party (UDP) on the proposed Meghalaya Education Grant (MEG), Sangma highlighted how the current system of multiple school categories hinders the state’s educational progress.
“The existence of too many categories of schools has significantly impacted the PGI ranking. To address this, we propose to streamline the system into three main categories: government, grant-in-aid institutions, and purely private schools,” Sangma explained.
He cited an example from his village, where four types of schools—an SSA school, a government upper primary school, a deficit secondary school, and a private higher secondary school—share the same infrastructure but are treated as separate entities by the ministry.
“This fragmentation results in each school receiving only a fraction of recognition, affecting the overall PGI ranking,” Sangma noted.
The minister also stated that the MEG initiative aims to reform and simplify the education sector in the state.
“Under the chief minister’s leadership, we are working towards reducing the different categories of schools and teachers while streamlining the funding system,” he said.
Sangma acknowledged the constructive input from MLAs during the consultation, noting their support and suggestions.
He described the proposed reforms as potentially historic if implemented successfully.
The Education Department has also established a Consultation Committee, chaired by Secretary of Education Swapnil Tembe, to engage with stakeholders, including school governing bodies and institutional heads across Meghalaya.
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“The committee will seek input from all relevant parties to ensure inclusive decision-making. Once consultations are complete, the government will take a final call,” Sangma added.
Reflecting on the state of education over the past 50 years, Sangma stressed the importance of initiating reforms under the chief minister’s leadership.
“It’s time to start addressing long-standing issues and bring necessary corrections to the education sector,” he concluded.
