Shillong, Jul 30: After facing criticism and apprehension from pressure groups regarding the ‘Mission Education Rehabilitation’, the ERD Foundation, which oversees the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), has issued a clarification regarding the initiative.
Fears have been expressed that the foundation is taking in people displaced from Assam due to the neighbouring state’s drive against so-called illegal residents. The pressure groups fear that the education programme will encourage more of these people fleeing Assam to come to Meghalaya and settle here.
In a release today, the ERD Foundation said that it “has always been involved in educating the poor and talented children from various parts of the North East region through its different initiatives under this mission from time to time.”
The ERDF’s education rehabilitation initiatives date back to 2012 and are not new. The aim is to reach out to “underprivileged sections of society after ensuring their eligibility for the educational benefits through verification of relevant documents to ensure benefits reach the right children.”
Over the past decade nearly 1,000 marginalised children have been supported through the initiative, including orphans, victims of conflict, natural disasters and displaced communities, the release added.
