Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 21/24

TEACHER INITIATION CONCLAVE HELD IN TURA

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and Education Minister Rakkam A. Sangma today released the NCERT text books for Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE) at the Teachers Initiative Conclave, held at Harding Theological College, Tura in presence of MLAs Rupert Momin, Sanjay A Sangma, Arbinstone Marak and officials of MBoSE and Education Department.

At the Teacher Initiation Conclave, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Education Minister Rakkam Sangma handed over appointment letters to 458 newly recruited Government LP School Teachers. This is for the first time that such recruitment has taken place after the roster system was put in place. As a Government we are committed to improve education in rural areas and the appointment of qualified teachers will greatly enhance the performance of students from a young age thereby improving the overall quality of education across the state, said the Chief Minister, while speaking at the conclave. He said that education has been at the centre for the transformative change and the vision that the State has envisioned. It has been an eventful journey in the last five years, our Government has been very focused and moving with a vision to take the State forward, he said. Education has been at the centre of the transformative story of our state. We have gone through 52 years as a state, and in the last 5 years, our government has been moving with a vision of wanting to take the state forward. He went on to say that the right kind of change starts with having the right mindset. The right thought instils the right purpose which puts you on the right path and keeps you moving in the right direction. If we are not shaping the minds, values and personalities of the individual, we are not fulfilling the true potential as teachers. But if you carry the right purpose in your heart, you will overcome every challenge along the way, he stressed. Talking about the approach of the Government, the Chief Minister said, Last five years has been very challenging for us but as a government, we are committed to make a difference for our people. We have told ourselves that we will become one of the top 10 States in the country. We are working on mission mode to ensure housing for all, road connectivity to every village, water to every household, mobile connectivity across the State. Our approach and mindset has to be different, to ensure what best we can do for our people. Drawing a comparison between population of New Zealand and Meghalaya, he said, New Zealand has a population of 52 lakh, whereas Meghalaya has a population of 38 lakh, our economy is 5 billion dollars, roughly 40,000 cr, while New Zealand, has economy of around 300 billion dollars, which is 20 times more than us. He further said that developed countries like New Zealand has made huge investment in human capital including education, research and technology, and as a State Meghalaya has prioritised education and is making investment in education to ensure overall growth and development of the State. For over 45 years, the education sector in the State was not given the due attention it deserved. Our Government has started making investment in education to achieve the objective of ensuring growth and development. As a Government, we have been putting a lot of thrust on building school infrastructure and development of human capital, he added. He also congratulated the new recruits and said that they should take their profession seriously and give their complete dedication to be part of the transformation that the Government has envisioned for its citizens. He also spoke at length on interventions that are being made across the State to improve the overall infrastructure in Schools, LP, secondary and higher secondary and colleges.

Congratulating the newly appointed teachers, Education Minister Rakkam Sangma said that teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the young minds of the State. He said that being a teacher is not an easy job, it requires a lot of sacrifice to better the lives of young children. He said that children imbibe qualities from their teachers and it is incumbent on them to be an example before them. “In my experience as a teacher, students and society expect the best qualities and standards in teachers,” he says. He highlighted the decreasing number of students in government schools and strongly stated that it is due to the quality of education. “It is my earnest request to our teachers to give the best possible education that you can offer as you are the ones who will help shape the future of the next generation,” he added.

Lok Sabha MP Agatha K Sangma reminded the teachers of a message from his father Late Purno Agitok Sangma on values that a teachers should imbibe while imparting teaching. Quoting her father, she said, “Planting human is a great contribution for generation to come”

The event was organised by the Directorate of School Education & Literacy, Education Department, Government of Meghalaya. The number of letters distributed today were 94 for North Garo Hills, 66 for East Garo Hills, 67 for South West Garo Hills, 151 for South Garo Hills, and 80 for West Garo Hills. A key highlight of the event today was the release of NCERT textbooks by the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE) for Classes 1 to 10. This comes as a significant stride by the Education Department and the Government of Meghalaya in using NCERT books to ensure a comprehensive coverage of subjects and topics, and also better prepare the youth for competitive and entrance exams at the national level.

Swapnil Tembe, IAS, Director, School Education & Literacy, Government of Meghalaya, presented the audience with an insightful picture of the existing programmes and current state of Meghalaya's education frameworks. He urged the teachers to tap into the existing ecosystem and make the most of the tools and platforms provided to help augment their teaching efficiency.

The LP School Teachers under the District Institute for Education and Training (DIET), Rongkong, Tura, performed special songs at the event. Other special performers included Aspire Meghalaya 2022 Stars – Walman Momin and Kavita Devi.

Press Release No. 22/24

NATIONAL VOTERS DAY OBSERVED

Commemorating the foundation day of the Election Commission of India in 2011, the 14th National Voters Day was observed today on the theme, 'There is nothing like voting, I will definitely vote'

The programme organized by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Meghalaya was held at U Soso Tham Auditorium, Shillong. Hon'ble Governor of Meghalaya, Shri. Phagu Chauhan graced the occasion as the Chief Guest while Meghalaya Chief Secretary, Shri. D P Wahlang was the Guest of Honour.

Speaking on the occasion, the Hon’ble Governor reiterating the importance of exercising our franchise said that voting is not only our right but our constitutional responsibility. With approximately 100 crore voters, India is the largest democracy in the world and the Lok Sabha elections which will be held in our country this year, is the biggest single event in the world till date, he said. Urging all citizens above the age of 18 to contribute in making our democracy even stronger he said that we all have to work together to fulfill this resolution by exercising our vote enthusiastically in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Hon’ble Governor expressed confidence that our efficient election machinery will complete such a big election in a peaceful and free fair manner.

In his address, Shri. D P Wahlang stressed on the importance of electoral awareness and the importance of participating in the electoral process. Pointing out the power that a young voter holds in deciding the future of the country, he stressed on the need for legible voter to not only register themselves in the electoral roll but also to exercise their franchise.

The Chief Electoral Officer, Dr. B D R Tiwari informed that the State has had an increase of 1.42 percent in the number of voters, as per the final published photo electoral rolls. The total number of electors in Meghalaya currently stands at 22,17,100.

During the day, the Chief Guest and other dignitaries distributed epic cards to a chosen few first time voters and also gave away prizes to the winners of the Democracy Run held earlier on the day. Prizes were also distributed to winners of different youth centric competitions organized by the Model United Nations (MUN) and also to 3 best performing Block Level Officers (BLOs).