Shillong, July 21: Education minister Rakkam A Sangma has hit back at leader of opposition (LoP) Mukul Sangma for accusing the government of neglecting the state of primary schools and reminded the former chief minister of the state of affairs during his tenure.
However, the minister urged all legislators and public representatives to contribute actively towards improvement of school infrastructure in Meghalaya, particularly in Garo Hills region.
The LoP alleged that the state government neglected the dilapidated condition of government lower and upper primary schools in Garo Hills despite availability of disaster relief funds and persisting teacher shortage.
Reacting to the former chief minister’s allegation, the education minister acknowledged existing challenges but reminded the Dr Mukul of his own tenure.
“Let us not forget that during his time as chief minister, no government school buildings were constructed. My own father served as a private primary teacher and saw no improvement during that period,” Rakkam stated.
Emphasising the government’s efforts to improve school infrastructure, the education minister said under the leadership of chief minister Conrad K Sangma, work to renovate and rebuild thousands of school buildings is under way.
“We have over 14,000 educational institutions in the state. So far, we’ve reached 3,000 to 4,000. Around 50% of schools are in urgent need of repair,” he said.
Referring to his own initiatives, the education minister said he had renovated 45 ad hoc and SSA schools in his Rongara-Siju constituency using his MLA scheme funds, spending ₹2 lakh per school.
He called on all MLAs to take similar steps, suggesting that if each legislator undertook 50 schools per year, significant progress could be achieved.
He also appealed to MPs, MDCs, and other elected representatives to go beyond mere photo ops and contribute their funds towards improving educational infrastructure.
“Let’s not play the blame game. Let us preach what we practise. Instead of pointing fingers, let’s come together and build,” he said.
