The inaugural function of Shillong College’s year-long diamond jubilee celebrating 60 years of teaching science was held here today.
The chief guest was Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma who talked of sustainable development and the role of science in achieving this goal.
Informing about Meghalaya’s IT Park and the hope of turning the state into a BPO centre with the construction of another 5,000-seat IT park, he expressed hope that the state moves to being a technology provider rather than just a BPO service provider.
He added that the optical fibre connectivity is moving towards the block level. This digital connectivity, he said, would pave paths for dispersing of knowledge, promoting entrepreneurship and helping the state move forward.
Informing that a data centre is also being set up in Meghalaya, he expressed hope that educational institutions are going to create the manpower required for it.
Referring to the Solar Mission, Sangma said the state is going to allocate funds towards this step to move towards a green economy that he hopes will promote and pave the way for more green technology. In all this science is going to play an important role and he urged all educational institutions to promote research and innovation in collaboration with the industries and the government.
Guest of Honour and Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma congratulated the college on being the only one in the state to be assessed and reaccredited with an A+ grade recently by NAAC Bangalore.
He urged the students to spread their knowledge to every nook and corner of the state for the development of Meghalaya.
Adviser of the diamond jubilee celebration and Vice-Chancellor of NEHU, Prof PS Shukla, stated that science is the foundation of the modern world and pointed to various challenges, such as climate change and diseases, that science research is needed in.
All three speakers also dwelt on the National Education Policy 2020, which state colleges have been told to implement from the upcoming academic year.
As part of the day’s programme, a documentary entitled ‘Evolution of teaching science (1963-2023) at Shillong College’ was screened. A puppetry show and an inter-college debate were also held, the latter on the theme of ‘Thermal Power Plants as a Solution to Meghalaya’s Energy Crisis’.
