SHILLONG: Former MLA and current Government Advisor HM Shangpliang has strongly addressed the state’s low standing in the National Performance Grading Index (PGI), emphasizing that Meghalaya’s bottom-tier ranking reflects deep-rooted structural problems within the school education system rather than a lack of talent among its students.
Speaking on the issue, Shangpliang pointed out that Meghalaya recently ranked at the bottom of the national ladder, securing a score of just 417 out of 1000. He attributed this low PGI score to several critical factors, primary among which are weak learning outcomes. The PGI system places significant weight on actual student learning levels in core subjects like reading, mathematics, and science. Meghalaya has been heavily struggling in these areas, particularly in national assessments for foundational literacy and numeracy, as well as in board exam consistencies.
According to the Advisor, rural schools bear the brunt of these systemic deficiencies, facing severe shortages of subject teachers and highly limited academic monitoring. The crisis is further compounded by poor school infrastructure. Numerous educational institutions across the state still lack science laboratories, libraries, proper internet facilities, and digital access. Basic necessities such as adequate classrooms, drinking water, electricity, and separate functional toilets for boys and girls remain deficient.
Furthermore, the state’s difficult terrain and poor transport connectivity—especially during the monsoon season—create immense administrative roadblocks, creating “hard to reach” schools where both teachers and students must trek on foot, leading to teacher reluctance and high absenteeism, including allegations of proxy teaching.
The economic reality of remote tribal areas also drives up student dropout rates, a factor that heavily penalizes the state’s PGI score. Poverty forces parents to discourage continued education, pushing children into menial labor for family survival after the upper primary and secondary levels.
Defending the state’s efforts, Shangpliang highlighted that the government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, is spending unprecedented amounts of money to bridge these gaps. He described the overhaul as a continuous process but stressed that the wider society and environment must also be conducive to keeping children in school.
To systematically improve the PGI ranking, Shangpliang outlined a comprehensive roadmap moving forward. The topmost priority is strengthening foundational learning in classes I to V through a mission-mode implementation of reading and math programs, daily assessments of basic reading abilities, and special remedial classes. He emphasized the necessity of mother-tongue-based early learning with a gradual transition to English.
To tackle infrastructure and dropout issues simultaneously, the state plans to prioritize the immediate upgrade of basic school facilities, including smart classrooms and science labs. To retain students, the government aims to establish more residential schools and hostels, provide transport support for rural students, distribute scholarships to economically weaker sections, and introduce vocational education and career counseling at the secondary level.
A major administrative reform currently underway is school rationalization and consolidation. Under the direction of the Chief Minister, the government is merging non-functional schools or institutions with zero enrollment or skewed teacher-student ratios into larger, well-equipped cluster schools. This strategy ensures that teachers from under-populated schools are redeployed to larger areas where their skills can be properly utilized.
Additionally, the state is looking toward technology, planning to implement hybrid learning systems, recorded lessons in Khasi, Garo, Jaintia, and English, and teacher support applications. Governance and monitoring are also being tightened, as the PGI heavily evaluates data management, school inspections, and policy implementation. The government intends to conduct regular learning outcome surveys, strengthen District Education Officers, and deploy real-time school data systems.
Shangpliang concluded by stressing that the government cannot do this alone and called for a powerful partnership with Meghalaya’s community institutions, churches, and NGOs. He stated that when Village Education Committees become active, churches back anti-dropout campaigns, parents actively track attendance, and NGOs assist with remedial teaching, the state will successfully reverse its educational decline. Expressing full confidence in the current leadership,
Shangpliang asserted that with collective stakeholder effort, Meghalaya will definitively elevate its PGI rankings in the days to come.
