Shillong, Sept 11: Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Friday said the rationalisation of teachers across government schools is non-negotiable, stressing the need to address disparities in teacher deployment.
“We cannot have a school with zero students but three teachers, and a school with 300 students but only two teachers. Rationalisation is the way forward, without affecting incumbent teachers. We will complete it in due course,” Rymbui said.
He said the Education Department is also pursuing reforms to strengthen Meghalaya’s case for the inclusion of Khasi and Garo in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
“Over the last one year, we have approved books to teach basic Garo and Khasi. Our intention is clear—we want these languages in the Eighth Schedule, so we have to make our case strong,” he said.
Citing the NITI Aayog’s 2024-25 report, Rymbui said only 8.2 per cent of graduates secure jobs linked to their field of study, highlighting the need to integrate skill development with formal education.
“Where does the 92 per cent go? We recognised that skills are crucial. We brought Community Integral Skills Learning to integrate skills with formal education from Class V onwards,” he said.
On teacher training and infrastructure, Rymbui said the government has established the Meghalaya Teachers Training Academy and upgraded all government secondary schools to higher secondary level.
“Teaching is dynamic. Secondary schools have been upgraded and new streams have been added,” he said.
Addressing concerns over glitches in the direct benefit transfer (DBT) system for school uniforms, Rymbui acknowledged that beneficiaries had faced banking-related problems last year.
“We did DBT last year and there were bank complaints. We saw it in the Assembly. We recognise the ground reality and will take corrective measures whenever issues arise. But to blame one officer is not correct,” he said.
Highlighting the government’s education initiatives since 2018, Rymbui said Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had made education a priority from the beginning of his tenure.
“When the Chief Minister came in 2018, he said education was a top priority. How many Chief Ministers before him? There were only six government colleges. Now we have our own university, an engineering college, a college of architecture and urban planning, and government colleges across the state,” he said.
He also credited the Chief Minister’s support for the introduction of the People’s College model and the upgrading of secondary schools across the state.
However, Rymbui acknowledged that the government still has much to do.
“Is it enough? No. Education is dynamic. From Mission Education I, we are now at Mission Education IV. If we wait until we have enough resources to do everything in one go, it may not materialise. It is a continuous process and we are trying to do more,” he said.
