Shillong, April 2: The Meghalaya government has approved the construction of 186 lower primary school buildings along with additional classrooms for several higher secondary schools, marking a major step to strengthen education infrastructure at the beginning of the new financial year.
Announcing the decision after a four-hour review meeting on Thursday, Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui credited Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma for sanctioning the projects. “I am very happy that the Chief Minister has sanctioned about 186 school buildings for lower primary schools and also includes a few higher secondary schools in which additional classrooms are needed,” he said.
The minister said the review also covered staffing requirements for newly created subdivisions, including the establishment of offices for Sub-Divisional School Education Officers. “Whatever issues we could resolve, we will resolve immediately. Those needing discussion with personnel, finance, or the Chief Minister, we will take up,” Rymbui said.
The Cabinet has also approved the establishment of a Meghalaya Teachers Training Academy. The education department has already notified the academy and directed officials to prepare a detailed implementation plan. “Teacher training is very important. We have impressed upon them to formulate the plan and decide how to go about it,” the minister stated.
Rymbui also reviewed preparations for the upcoming Meghalaya Teachers Eligibility Test (MTET), conducted by the Directorate of Educational Research and Training. He acknowledged challenges following a Supreme Court ruling requiring in-service teachers to qualify the test, which could lead to a large number of candidates. “We know there will be an issue because a large number of candidates will be there. We discussed how, when the exam is conducted, there should be no issues at all,” he said.
The minister described the meeting as a comprehensive review, covering Infrastructure development, Administrative expansion, Teacher training and Recruitment processes. He added that the department is working to fast-track decisions that do not require higher-level approval while escalating others to relevant authorities.
