Meghalaya: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said on Tuesday that the state is beginning to see clear results from the steady rise in education spending. The budget for the department has gone up from two thousand crore rupees to three thousand five hundred crore in recent years, the highest allocation the sector has received.

Speaking at Nartiang Presbyterian Higher Secondary School, he said the investment is driving the changes the government set out to achieve when it made education a priority in 2018. He reminded the audience that schooling is not only about academic achievement but also about shaping young people with discipline, faith, respect, hard work, and a sense of purpose.

Sangma pointed to Meghalaya’s unusually high number of schools. The state has about fourteen thousand institutions compared with Tripura’s four thousand and Manipur’s five thousand. It also employs fifty five thousand teachers, far more than its neighbours.

The chief minister acknowledged the problems that come with this density. Two hundred and six schools have full teaching staff but no students, while nearly two thousand have five to seven teachers for only one to five students. He called rationalisation a sensitive but necessary issue.

He said the government is close to finalising a structured salary system for ad hoc and SSA teachers that will introduce job security, yearly increments, and retirement benefits. A decision is expected before Christmas.

Sangma added that officials are reviewing the growing demand for science streams in higher secondary schools so students are not held back by limited options. He announced twenty lakh rupees from the Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund for the development of the Nartiang school building and said the state is working with the Centre to set up girls’ hostels to widen access to education.

Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar joined the event to mark the school’s fiftieth year. He praised the community, teachers, and management for their role in the school’s growth. The Golden Jubilee programme featured a souvenir release, the school anthem, and a fusion dance performance by students.

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