Tura, September 2: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Wednesday attended the 65th Teachers’ Day State-level celebration, observed in advance at Tura, where teachers from across Garo Hills and other parts of the State took part in the programme.
The celebration also witnessed the presentation of the State Teachers’ Awards and District Teachers’ Awards 2026, Best Scout Master and Guide Captain Awards, besides financial assistance under the Teachers’ Welfare Fund.
Congratulating the awardees, Sangma said recognition should not be limited to those receiving awards, but should also extend to teachers serving quietly in difficult and remote areas, including single-teacher schools in border villages. “No education system can rise above the quality of its teachers, however much money we spend on buildings, however many schemes we launch,” the Chief Minister said.
Recalling the situation in 2018, Sangma said a proposal to transform school infrastructure had estimated a requirement of around Rs 3,000 crore. Though such an amount was not immediately available, the government decided to begin with a small number of schools and gradually expand the initiative. He said that seven years later, under Mission Education, infrastructure has been upgraded in more than 2,000 elementary government schools, while the number of Higher Secondary Schools has increased from 427 to 545.
The Chief Minister said education has also received a major share of expenditure from his Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund. Of around Rs 300 crore to Rs 400 crore spent over the past eight financial years, about Rs 150 crore to Rs 180 crore was directed towards education. He added that another Rs 600 crore to Rs 700 crore has been spent through the Education Department, apart from Corporate Social Responsibility funds channelled towards the sector.
Highlighting Meghalaya’s performance in the Performance Grading Index, Sangma said the State has, for the first time, moved out of the lowest grade category, improving from Akanshi-3 to Akanshi-1 in a single year. According to him, Meghalaya’s score increased from 448 to 525.7 out of 1,000, a rise of 77.7 points. He said this represented the largest single-year improvement recorded by any State in the country, while Meghalaya has registered a cumulative improvement of 124 points, or 31 per cent, over four years.
The Chief Minister also cited improvements in examination results, stating that the State recorded a 97.2 per cent pass percentage in SSLC and 86.6 per cent in HSSLC this year. The transition rate from Class X to Class XI has increased to 82.1 per cent, while the secondary school dropout rate has also declined significantly, he said.
To assess performance at the individual school level, the government has introduced the Meghalaya School Performance Grading Index covering all 11,443 schools in 12 districts. The schools are assessed across five domains and 43 indicators, with a maximum score of 1,000 points. The highest-scoring school secured 930 points. East Khasi Hills has 48 schools among the State’s top 100, followed by Ri Bhoi with 16. Among the Garo Hills districts, West Garo Hills has nine schools in the overall State top 100, 11 among the top 100 government schools and seven among the top 100 private schools.
The Chief Minister named institutions including Montfort PM SHRI LPS, Montfort Higher Secondary School, Dalu Government PM SHRI Higher Secondary School, Shyamnagar Government PM SHRI School and Tura Public School among the top performers.
The highest school scores in the Garo Hills districts stood at 892 in West Garo Hills, 838 in East Garo Hills, 808 in South Garo Hills, 775 in North Garo Hills and 752 in South-West Garo Hills. “The MSPGI is not a scoreboard to win or lose, but a map that tells every teacher and school precisely where to direct next year’s effort,” Sangma said.
Urging teachers to remain focused on their larger responsibility, he said the purpose of teaching went beyond completing the syllabus or routine working hours. “Purpose of every teacher is to shape lives of youth, and while shaping youth, you shape future of country,” he said.
Sangma also directed education officials to visit one or two schools every week or fortnight and upload observations on infrastructure issues such as roof leakage, furniture and drinking water facilities. He said the observations would be made visible to the Commissioner and Secretary, Director and the Chief Minister for corrective action, and asked senior officials of the Education Department to closely monitor the system.
The Chief Minister said the government would continue its efforts to transform the education sector and called on teachers and officials to work together constructively. He added that every decision in the education sector should be guided by one question — whether it would help students.
Senior officials of the Education Department, teachers, awardees, students and other officials attended the programme.
