SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has announced a major investment of ₹131 crore for Phase IV of Mission Education (2026–27), aimed at strengthening the state’s primary education infrastructure.
Under this phase, the state government will renovate and reconstruct 135 government Lower Primary (LP) schools that have been identified as being in urgent need of repair and modernization.
Presenting the State Budget, the Chief Minister described Mission Education as a focused initiative to strengthen government-run LP schools, calling them the “bedrock” of Meghalaya’s education system.
He informed that ₹131 crore will be allocated for renovation of 135 government LP schools, ₹30 crore for infrastructure development at Captain Williamson Sangma University, with focus area being government-run Lower Primary schools.
Sangma clarified that out of nearly 14,000 schools across the state, only about 2,500 are directly run by the government as LP schools. So far, more than 2,000 of these institutions have already been renovated or provided with new buildings.
He assured that by the completion of the current phase, 100 percent of government LP schools in Meghalaya will have received financial and infrastructural assistance.
Addressing concerns over viral images of dilapidated school buildings on social media, the Chief Minister urged the public to verify the category of such institutions.
“When such images surface, people should check whether the schools are Government, Ad-hoc, SSA, or Deficit schools. Our present focus is on government LP schools. Many of the damaged buildings seen online belong to Ad-hoc or SSA schools, which are not yet covered under this phase,” Sangma said.
He further stated that despite financial limitations, the government continues to support Ad-hoc and SSA schools through the MLA scheme and the Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund (SDF).
Reflecting on the initiative’s progress since 2019, Sangma recalled that while the Education Department had initially sought ₹2,000 crore, the government began with only ₹100 crore due to budget constraints. Over the past seven years, the project has expanded substantially, benefiting more than 2,000 schools.
The Chief Minister concluded by stating that once government-owned schools are fully modernized, the administration will shift its focus toward upgrading infrastructure in Ad-hoc, SSA, and other categories of schools across Meghalaya.
