Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday took part in the centenary celebration of the Jaiaw Presbyterian Higher Secondary School at Jaiaw Shillong, which was also attended by the Chairman of the Meghalaya State Planning Board, Metbah Lyngdoh.
Addressing the gathering as the Chief Guest on the commemoration of 100 years of the school, the Chief Minister congratulated and lauded the efforts of the school and all the members of the managing committee and teachers who have played a pivotal role in guiding the institution all these years from its humble beginnings to an institute of repute contributing immensely towards the uplift of education of children mostly from the underprivileged sections of the society.
“I must take this opportunity to thank all those who have been working and have been related to the school in different aspects and made it what it is today and I am sure that looking back all of you must be having a sense of satisfaction to see how the school has come up in the last many years”, he said.
The Chief Minister also said that the day is a significant occasion to remember all the achievements of the school during the past decades and it is in the best interest that the school must plan its journey and move ahead with set targets and goals which are centred on having a positive impact on the education of its students.
“You must have targets because that’s what gives us direction to work and move forward with a vision that we would like to achieve. I urge the managing committee and all members of the Church as well as the alumni and others who are associated with the school to set a goal and move forward so as to achieve much higher standards for the school in the coming years”, he added.
Speaking at length on the challenges in the education sector, the Chief Minister also said that decision making and problem solving are impacted by numerous internal and external factors but above all it should not supersede the welfare of students and the positive impact on their learning.
“Whatever we do in the education sector, students should be at the heart of all decisions that we take as teachers, as political leaders or as a government. The outcome of all of all our decisions must always be student driven”, he added.
During his speech the Chief Minister also mentioned that Meghalaya has close to 14000 schools and over 55,000 teachers which is significantly higher than other equivalent sized smaller states in the Northeast. He added that the State spends almost ₹2200 cr annually on different forms of grant in aid given to different schools.
He said that despite the huge investments and attention given to the education sector the State needs to strive harder to be among the top performing states in education in the country.
The Chief Minister also informed that very shortly the State will set up an Education Commission which will look into all aspects of improving the education sector in the State.
During the function, the Chief Minister also announced a grant of ₹20 lakhs from the Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund for extension of the school’s building.