Shillong: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has defended Meghalaya’s standing in the Ministry of Education’s latest Performance Grading Index. He argued that the state’s education system should not be judged solely by rankings, noting that technical and structural factors unique to the region complicate the evaluation process.
A primary challenge involves how schools are registered and structured. Many institutions in Meghalaya share the same building or campus while maintaining separate identities and UDISE numbers. Because these schools are assessed individually, the state’s overall score is impacted by this distinct administrative layout.
The government has implemented significant reforms over the past four years to improve the sector. These initiatives include streamlining teacher salaries and enhancing academic quality. Sangma pointed to positive trends such as rising pass percentages and a dropout rate of approximately six percent, which sits below the national average.
Addressing past hurdles, the Chief Minister explained that high failure rates in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate examinations previously hindered the state’s performance on the index. He remains optimistic that recent interventions will yield better results in the 2025 to 2026 report, as the long-term impact of current reforms becomes more apparent.
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