CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Saturday announced that the state government is in the process of identifying 50 schools across Meghalaya for the allocation of building grants aimed at introducing higher secondary sections. The grants will support the construction of additional classrooms in both government and private institutions based on specific need-based criteria. “Schools in selected areas that fulfil criteria set by the government will be eligible for the scheme for a one-time building grant,” the Chief Minister stated, explaining that the Education Department will assess eligibility based on factors such as student enrolment and past academic performance. He informed that each eligible institution may receive up to Rs 50 lakh under the scheme. The announcement was made while inaugurating four newly constructed classrooms at Bidanchi Higher Secondary School, Tura. The classrooms were funded through the Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund (CMSDF). Sangma also committed an additional Rs 10 lakh to the school for introducing a higher secondary section from the current academic session. Lauding the efforts of the Education Department, Sangma highlighted initiatives like the CM–IMPACT guide books to assist Class X students in preparing for their board exams. “Close to 60,000 students appear for the SSLC exam every year, and the pass percentage was roughly 25 percent, particularly from rural areas. We were not able to nurture the dreams of our students, and this year’s result is very satisfying as most of our students have passed the exam,” he said. “There are critics who have different views on this, but as a government and personally, I am extremely happy to see that our children have passed the exam and will take up higher studies.”
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