Shillong, Aug 27: UDP leader and West Shillong MLA Paul Lyngdoh on Thursday called for an immediate education reforms commission, saying Meghalaya’s education system has expanded faster than its quality.
Participating in a short duration discussion in the Assembly, Lyngdoh said the state needs to revive the “passion and spark” that once made Shillong the education hub of the Northeast.
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a spark,” he said, quoting Irish poet W.B. Yeats.
Recalling Shillong’s legacy, he said St Edmund’s College produced two Chief Election Commissioners – Harishankar Brahma and JM Lyngdoh – a distinction shared only with St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and four Chief Ministers, including Purno A Sangma, Dr Mukul Sangma, DD Lapang and EK Mawlong.
In the present scenario, he welcomed improvement in PISA score from 448.0 in 2024-25 to 525.71 in 2025-26, but said Meghalaya remains lowest among 8 NE states.
On the current education scenario, Lyngdoh welcomed the reported improvement in Meghalaya’s Performance Grading Index (PGI) from 448.0 in 2024-25 to 525.71 in 2025-26. However, he said Meghalaya remained the lowest-scoring state among the eight northeastern states in the latest assessment.
“The question is not simply whether we are improving, but whether we are improving fast enough,” he said.
He flagged declining preference for MBOSE, early SSLC schedule in December-January, rigid textbook system and reforms like bi-annual exams without adequate teacher training and infrastructure.
Citing figures, he said Meghalaya has 14,500+ schools, including 206 with zero enrolment and 2,269 with less than 10 students, indicating fragmentation and poor planning.
“These figures point to a system that has expanded faster than its quality has improved,” he said.
He urged consolidation of schools and restoring Shillong as an education destination.
