Correspondent
SHILLONG, NOV 4 (NPN): Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Wednesday announced that the state government is formulating a mechanism to extend financial aid to over 700 unsupported schools.
“We are working on a plan where we are able to support existing schools which we are currently supporting, and a plan to support schools which we are not supporting at all,” he said, while addressing the 126th anniversary celebrations of Presbyterian Higher Secondary School.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated a new higher secondary section and laid the foundation stone for an auditorium of the school. Sangma said that there are about 700 plus Secondary and Higher Secondary schools for whom the government are not able to give any financial support.
“We want to ensure we are fair to everyone, and we will ensure we cover as much as possible, so that many new schools get support,” Sangma assured.
While highlighting that Meghalaya allocates nearly Rs 4,000 crore annually to education, the Chief Minister cautioned that increased spending does not automatically guarantee better academic outcomes. He emphasised that systemic policy must focus firmly on student welfare and elevating instructional standards. Sangma flagged severe structural bottlenecks within the state’s educational pipeline, noting a stark institutional imbalance.
While Meghalaya boasts around 9,000 lower primary schools, it has only about 500 higher secondary schools, creating a severe bottleneck for students attempting to transition past Class 10. Though the number of colleges has now crossed 100, expanding higher education infrastructure remains a long-term challenge. Addressing historic performance deficits, the Chief Minister credited the state’s “CM IMPACT” initiative for turning around secondary education outcomes. Sangma noted that the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) pass percentage has surged from around 50 per cent five years ago to over 90 per cent.
However, he maintained that high pass rates must be backed by a genuine student-centric approach where teachers adapt to the varied learning speeds and capacities of individual children. The Chief Minister also addressed the lingering discontent among ad hoc and Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) teachers demanding salary revisions.
Acknowledging that the state currently spends Rs 1,200 crore annually on grant-in-aid school and college salaries, he detailed the tight fiscal boundaries governing the negotiations.
“Even a modest 10 per cent salary hike translates to an extra annual burden of Rs 120 crore, while a 20 per cent increase would cost the state exchequer over Rs 300 crore,” the Chief Minister said. Despite these intense financial constraints, Sangma reiterated that teachers deserve deep professional respect, promising that the government will continue to pursue a workable solution through active dialogue.