Shillong, Jul 03: Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Monday expressed concern over the poor pass percentage of districts in Garo Hills in the board examination and attributed the alarming
rate of failure to weak chain in education at the elementary level, including lack of dedicated teachers and lack of hostels for students from rural background.
Sangma expressed this concern while addressing a gathering after he inaugurated a newly constructed Tribal Girls’ Hostel at Hawakhana, Tura.
The hostel was sanctioned under Article 275(1) of the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs and implemented by the State Government through Social Welfare Department and Women’s Economic Development Society (WEDS), Tura.
“It is a scary situation that districts in Garo Hills have not been able to cross the pass percentage of 36% in board examinations,” he said.
The Chief Minister while attributing the alarming rate of failure to weak chain in education at the elementary level, including lack of dedicated teachers and lack of hostels for students coming from rural background, he stressed the need to give special attention to vulnerable groups of students with handholding support and infuse in them the sense of hope.
He also informed the gathering that the Teachers’ Training Programme was initiated by the government for which a grant of Rs 5000 would be given only to potential candidates who aspire to become teachers, so that schools will have committed teachers when they apply for jobs.
An amount of Rs. 1 crore was sanctioned for construction of the hostel in a land belonged to Hawakhana and given to WEDS to be utilized for community purpose. The hostel was completed with community contribution of Rs. 15 lakh, would accommodate 30 students, out of which, they would give priority to 25 underprivileged girls from the most backward and deprived areas with affordable fees, who would be trained and shaped to become agents of change in their respective villages. The hostel would be managed by an eight-member Managing Committee with one warden, two cooks and a night watchman.
WEDS have also sought the Chief Minister’s intervention to get the sanction for the second phase of the project which includes a Multi Facility Training Centre. The Multi-Facility Training Centre-cum-Hostel was designed by Architect, Silchi R. Marak.
The Chief Minister assured that the government would continue to support this kind of noble agenda and requested the managing committee to ensure that these 25 girls should be one from each village so that at least 25 villages each would have an ambassador of change.
