Tura, October 22: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Thursday inaugurated the renovated building of Rimrangpara Higher Secondary School in South West Garo Hills, reaffirming the State Government’s commitment to improving educational infrastructure and ensuring quality education across the state. The programme was attended by Gambegre MLA Mehtab Chandee A. Sangma, Chokpot MLA Sengchim Sangma, school authorities, teachers and members of the local community.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said education remains a top priority for the government, with ₹4,000 crore allocated annually to the sector out of the state’s overall expenditure of ₹20,000 crore. Acknowledging the challenges facing Meghalaya’s education sector, including inadequate infrastructure, poor school buildings, teachers’ salaries and examination performance, Sangma said the NPP-led government had undertaken several initiatives over the past eight years to improve educational standards. He recalled that the Garo Hills region had previously recorded SSLC failure rates exceeding 75 per cent, while several schools operated without adequate facilities.
Referring to Rimrangpara Higher Secondary School, the Chief Minister said ₹14 lakh had been sanctioned under the Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund (CMSDF) to renovate the building, which had remained in poor condition for several years. He thanked the School Managing Committee, teachers, church representatives, local residents and the MLA for their collective efforts in securing the renovation project.
Highlighting the Mission Education initiative, Sangma informed that more than 2,000 schools across Meghalaya had been upgraded, while over 80 new school buildings were inaugurated on September 23 this year. He said the government aims to ensure that every government school meets minimum standards in classrooms, infrastructure and essential facilities.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the CM IMPACT initiative, which provides students with access to an online tutoring platform featuring chapter-wise lessons, chatbot-based learning assistance and mock examinations. He said efforts were underway to introduce offline access for students in areas with poor internet connectivity.
Expressing satisfaction over improvements in academic performance, Sangma said Meghalaya recorded an SSLC pass percentage of 86.84 per cent this year, while the Higher Secondary pass percentage exceeded 83 per cent across Science, Arts and Commerce streams. He further informed that the state’s score in the national Performance Grading Index for school education had increased from 448 in 2024 to 525.71 in 2026.
However, he acknowledged that many rural schools still lack reliable electricity, safe drinking water, internet connectivity, libraries, science laboratories and sufficient teaching staff. “A good building is a beginning, not the finish,” the Chief Minister said, adding that the Education Department had been directed to prepare a school-wise roadmap identifying infrastructure gaps, timelines and funding requirements.
Sangma also expressed concern over the imbalance in educational institutions across different levels, pointing out that Meghalaya has approximately 9,000 government lower primary schools, 3,000 upper primary schools, 1,700 secondary schools, 500 higher secondary schools and only around 80 colleges. He said the limited number of higher educational institutions creates difficulties for students seeking to continue their studies. To address the issue, the government has established 23 new People’s Colleges, undertaken construction of college buildings at Baghmara and Williamnagar, and initiated the establishment of a college at Mahendraganj, a State University and an engineering college in Shillong.
The Chief Minister further informed that a structured pay framework had been introduced for more than 23,000 Adhoc and SSA teachers, with nearly ₹800 crore earmarked for salaries. He also announced that 700 schools would receive financial assistance under the CM IMPACT Plus initiative. Sangma explained that while the government directly undertakes repairs of government primary and upper primary schools, financial assistance to Adhoc, Deficit and other categories of schools is provided through the CMSDF, Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives and MLA funds. Responding to a request from Gambegre MLA Mehtab Chandee A. Sangma, the Chief Minister assured that the construction of a gallery at the Rimrangpara School playground would be taken up in phases.
Speaking on the occasion, Mehtab Chandee recalled witnessing the deteriorating condition of the school during her bye-election campaign, particularly leaking roofs that caused difficulties for students and teachers. She said the Chief Minister had readily agreed to provide financial assistance despite the institution not being a government school.
Thanking Sangma for sanctioning the renovation funds, the MLA urged teachers, parents and students to work collectively towards improving educational standards. She also appealed for greater government support to higher secondary schools in rural areas of Garo Hills, observing that the shortage of such institutions often forces students to discontinue their education after Class X. The MLA further reiterated her request for a gallery at the school playground to improve facilities for students and the surrounding community.
