Shillong, Dec 9: The education budget had increased from Rs 2,000 crores to Rs 3,500 crores annually, making it the highest in the state, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said today.
He stated that this investment was beginning to show the transformation the government desired.
Addressing the closing ceremony of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Nartiang Presbyterian Higher Secondary School in Modop, West Jaintia Hills, he acknowledged challenges in school rationalization.
He said there were 206 schools with full teaching capacity but no students, and about 2,000 schools had 5 to 7 teachers for only one to five students. He said that rationalization was complex because many livelihoods depended on these positions.
The Chief Minister highlighted that the government was finalising a structured salary system for ad hoc and SSA teachers, which would provide job security, incremental salary increases, and post-retirement benefits, and he expected a final decision before Christmas.
He announced that the government was assessing the demand for science streams across all higher secondary schools.
He also announced Rs 20 lakh support for the school under the Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund for the extension of the school building.
