Meghalaya pitches sweeping education reforms to Centre, seeks NEHU revival

New Delhi, May 25: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Monday met Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi and pushed for key higher education and school education reforms, including the early appointment of a Vice Chancellor for North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), implementation of pending infrastructure projects, and measures to improve Meghalaya’s education performance indicators.

In a letter submitted to the Union Education Minister, Sangma expressed gratitude for initiating the process to appoint a Vice Chancellor for NEHU, stating that the move had brought “much-needed reassurance” and had been welcomed by the university community.

“It is important that this momentum is now carried forward with both urgency and thoughtful care,” the Chief Minister said, urging that the selection process be completed without undue delay.

He stressed the need for appointing a candidate with strong academic and administrative credentials capable of steering the university through its current challenges.

Sangma also sought the Centre’s intervention for the implementation of five projects sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) for NEHU’s Tura campus. An amount of Rs 35 crore has already been released by the Ministry of Minority Affairs for infrastructure development.

The Chief Minister said the projects were critical for strengthening higher education infrastructure in the Garo Hills region and meeting the aspirations of students and local communities.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs had earlier suggested the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) as the implementing agency during a review meeting held in October 2025.
During the meeting, Sangma also made a detailed presentation on Meghalaya’s roadmap to improve its Performance Grading Index (PGI), acknowledging that the state has remained at the bottom of the rankings for the past three years.

He informed the Union Minister that the Education Department had identified major gaps in learning outcomes and initiated structural reforms to address long-standing challenges affecting the sector.

Among the key concerns highlighted were the unusually high number of schools in Meghalaya, fragmented resource utilisation, multiple layers of grant-in-aid systems, and administrative complexities.

According to the Chief Minister, Meghalaya, with a population of around 30 lakh, has nearly 14,600 schools — the highest among northeastern states excluding Assam, surpassing states such as Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura.

He said the government has launched a major school consolidation exercise to optimise infrastructure, improve student-teacher ratios, and ensure better access to laboratories and digital learning facilities.

Sangma informed that 3,198 schools have already been rationalised out of 14,582 schools across the state to ensure optimum utilisation of resources.

He also highlighted reforms including streamlining grant-in-aid mechanisms, implementing a unified pay structure for teachers including SSA teachers, and strengthening teacher training programmes through DIKSHA-enabled professional development modules.

The Chief Minister said Meghalaya has introduced several National Education Policy (NEP)-aligned reforms, including the three-language formula, compulsory learning of Khasi and Garo, play-based learning in foundational classes, contextualised textbooks, and bagless learning days.

He also briefed the Union Minister about the recently launched “CM LEAD Fellowship”, under which 12 fellows will be deployed across the state’s 12 districts to strengthen planning, coordination, and monitoring of education reforms.

Another major initiative highlighted during the meeting was the establishment of the Meghalaya Teachers Training Academy (MTTA), which will focus on continuous professional development and implement the teacher education component under Samagra Shiksha.
Sangma further briefed Pradhan on the development of Captain Williamson Sangma State University (CWSSU), being developed as a greenfield university model.

He sought financial assistance for infrastructure, laboratories, hostels, faculty development, academic expansion, and professional education programmes under the MERU (Multi-Disciplinary Education and Research Universities) vertical of PM-USHA, under which state universities are eligible for grants of up to Rs 100 crore.

“With a clear roadmap and strong political will, Meghalaya is poised to overcome its challenges and significantly improve its PGI performance in the coming years,” the Chief Minister said.