The education cell of the Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) held a meeting with officials from the state’s Department of Education at the Secretariat here today.
This engagement followed a prior initiative by the Department of Education, led by the Commissioner and Secretary, to discuss pressing issues with the council’s leaders, alongside other officials. The council members had previously expressed their concerns regarding the operational challenges faced by the Directorate of Higher and Technical Education, particularly regarding delays in the disbursement of the third installment of the pre- and post-matric scholarship under the umbrella scheme for students in the state.
During this meeting, the HYC presented two key demands to the state government: first, to expedite the submission of the utilisation certificate for the scholarship funds allocated to students in September each year to the Union Ministry of Education, and, second, to establish a dedicated cell focused solely on matters related to the timely release of scholarships for students in Meghalaya.
The HYC had earlier said that the delay in disbursement of the scholarship from the central government is because Meghalaya does not submit its utilisation certificates on time.
The government, represented by the Commissioner and Secretary of Education, acknowledged and accepted these demands, the HYC said, committing to explore avenues for dialogue with the Union Ministry of Education to ensure the prompt release of the third installment of the scholarships, which remains pending. Furthermore, the government assured that it would take necessary measures to alleviate the challenges faced by students in receiving their scholarships, promising that such issues would not persist in the coming years and that scholarships would be disbursed in a timely manner.