Reacting to Meghalaya once again being ranked among the lowest-performing states in the latest Performance Grading Index (PGI) report, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today admitted it is a “difficult situation” but asserted that ongoing reforms in the education sector will take time to reflect in national rankings.
“It’s obviously a very difficult situation for us. But I’ve always said that education is a very sticky issue. Like in economics, some issues are slow to change. Whatever reforms we initiate, their impact takes time to show, sometimes years,” Sangma told reporters.
The Union Ministry of Education’s PGI report, which assesses states based on various education indicators, revealed Meghalaya’s continued struggle to improve key performance metrics, despite several recent interventions. This year’s ranking is based on data from the previous academic cycle.
Sangma acknowledged the disappointment but urged patience. In this he took a different line to his Education Minister, Rakkam A Sangma, who yesterday blamed past governments and made excuses for the state’s poor position.
“Yes, we are disappointed that we haven’t improved our ranking. But it’s not for lack of effort. We’ve introduced structural changes, for instance, aligning to CBSE standards, updating textbooks and improving infrastructure. The benefits of these changes will begin to reflect in future PGI assessments,” he said.
The CM said his government remains committed to turning the situation around and compared the slow pace of education reforms to the state’s progress in other sectors.
“Whether it’s sports, tourism, health, or entrepreneurship, it has taken time, but we are now seeing results. Education will also follow this trajectory. We’re moving in the right direction,” Sangma added.
He assured that the government will not be disheartened by poor rankings but instead use them as motivation. “Reports like these only make us want to work harder. I am confident that with the team we have and the interventions underway, we will show significant improvement in the coming years.”
