SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the new building of the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBoSE) Regional Office in Shillong and virtually inaugurated 81 school infrastructure buildings constructed across the state under Mission Education Phase-II.
Speaking at the event, Sangma said the MBoSE Regional Office in Shillong had been functioning from temporary facilities for around 45 years. Established in September 1981 as the Shillong Cell to cater to the Khasi-Jaintia region, the office has operated from several locations, including the Inspector of Schools office at Mawkhar, the Education Guest House at Laitumkhrah, the MBoSE Guest House and the Taxation Building at Lower Lachumiere, where it has been based since December 22, 2005.
The regional office currently oversees seven Khasi-Jaintia districts, 1,329 secondary schools, 397 higher secondary schools, 97 SSLC centres and 78 HSSLC centres. It also appoints more than 1,300 examiners every year.
The Chief Minister also launched the CM IMPACT Guide book, powered by artificial intelligence, during the programme.
Under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, the government released the School Uniform Grant for 2026-27, providing Rs 600 per student to 2,98,013 students, including 1,47,419 boys and 1,50,594 girls. The total allocation of Rs 17.88 crore will be transferred directly through DBT to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of parents or guardians.
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The grants also include provisions for children with special needs, with Rs 57.62 lakh allocated for 3,440 beneficiaries. This includes escort allowance for 852 children, transport allowance for 908, stipends for 924 girls and home-based education for 756 children unable to attend school buildings. A composite grant of Rs 49.8 crore was also released.
Speaking about the state’s education reforms, Sangma said the government had recognised the need for a clear roadmap to address the challenges in the sector.
“Running 1000 kilometres or climbing Mount Everest – it’s something like that. We realised we must have a roadmap. We need a policy. We need to know where we are, where we want to go, and how we will get there,” he said.
Recalling the launch of Mission Education in 2019, when the estimated requirement was around Rs 3,000 crore, Sangma said the government initially began the initiative with an allocation of Rs 100 crore.
Mission Education has since committed Rs 457.41 crore across 2,230 schools through different phases. This includes 208 schools under Phase I with an allocation of Rs 109.33 crore, 111 schools under Phase II with Rs 97.38 crore, 117 schools under Phase III Engineering Cell with Rs 57.12 crore, 1,608 schools under Phase III MIDFC with Rs 62.50 crore and 186 schools under Phase IV with Rs 131.08 crore.
Separately, 182 schools have been modernised with digital classrooms, STEM laboratories and ICT facilities under the Asian Development Bank-supported SHCDM project.
Sangma said the government had also rationalised the school network, reducing the number of schools from 14,582 to 11,443 by merging schools with zero or single-digit enrolment, with the aim of concentrating teachers and resources where they are most needed.
He added that 118 schools had been upgraded to higher secondary level, increasing the number from 427 in 2024-25 to 545 in 2025-26.
Highlighting the importance of learning outcomes, Sangma spoke about CM IMPACT, an AI-powered online tutoring platform providing chapter-wise subject content, chatbot support, mock tests and question explanations. He said the platform would also be extended to an offline mode.
“A child at 15, 16, 17 has just started dreaming. Then comes the SSLC exam and 50% don’t make it. In Garo Hills it was only 25%. Before the child learns to fly, you cut off their wings. This is not an IAS exam. We cannot accept this,” he said.
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According to the Chief Minister, focused interventions through CM IMPACT have contributed to a 41.2 percentage point increase in the pass percentage.
He also cited an improvement in the state’s Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 score, from 448 in 2024 under Akanshi-3 to 525.71 in 2026 under Akanshi-1, an increase of 77.71 points. He said the government is targeting a score above 580 and subsequently 700 to move into the top 10 states within two years.
Sangma said the government was adopting a life-cycle approach to education and welfare, with interventions extending from pregnancy through old age.
He said financial constraints should not prevent children from continuing their education, citing the School Uniform Grant, the Chief Minister’s Scholarship Scheme covering nearly one lakh students from Class XI to doctoral level, and the SSLC private candidate route for dropouts, sportspersons and artistes, which has no upper age limit.
On implementation, Sangma referred to the Japanese model of spending 90 per cent of effort on planning and 10 per cent on execution, saying that identifying and analysing problems at the micro level could lead to effective outcomes with minimal investment.
He also highlighted recent developments in Laitumkhrah constituency and credited Ampareen Lyngdoh for her role, citing the Rs 24-crore shopping complex at Barik, Malki, an indoor stadium and the Rs 35-crore marketing complex at Laitumkhrah. He also mentioned steps being taken to provide designated spaces for hawkers while keeping footpaths clear for pedestrians.
