Meghalaya Asks Pvt Sector to Partner in Education

By Supratim Dey

Ri Bhoi District (meghalaya) Aug 09 : Concerned over the increasing trend of students moving out of the state and region for higher education, Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma called upon the private sector to partner the state government in providing “sustainable” and “affordable” educational opportunities within the state to stop the “brain drain”.

Sangma said education was a thrust area for his government, primarily to discourage the students from moving out of the state and the region in pursuit of higher education by providing better educational alternatives at home.

He said the Meghalaya government had enacted a law which enables private sector to set up self-financing educational institutions for higher studies as well as private universities in the state. He said that many private players are in the process of setting up self-financing educational institutions in the state in near future.

“Many self-financing institutions are willing to associate with our government to provide better higher educational opportunities in the state,” said Sangma. “Let us exercise collectively how to make quality education affordable and sustainable within the state so as to make it accessible to all sections and stop the brain drain,” he added.

Sangma was speaking at an ‘orientation’ programme at Regional Institute of Science and Technology (RIST) at 9th Mile in Ri Bhoi district recently. RIST is a non-governmental educational institution for higher studies to come up in recent years Meghalaya and is promoted by a “charitable educational trust” – Education Research and Development Foundation (ERDF).

The state, said Sangma, plans to partner NGOs and educational organisations to provide career counseling to students right from class 9 regarding career options and opportunities available in the state as well as within the region.

He said the state government had earmarked a fund and had directed the deputy commissioners of respective districts to identify NGOs for career counseling.

Sangma said that he was concerned over the increasing perception problem of people regarding education vis-à-vis the location. “People have a wrong perception on institutions based on location. Perception should be based on quality rather than on location,” said Sangma. 

“The youth of today are different from earlier generations. Youth now want to achieve and excel in life. So, we need to have availability of good educational institutions right from school level,” Sangma added. The Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management Shillong (RGIIM-S), North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (NEIGRIMS), are some of the educational institutions of national repute that are presently located in Shillong.