SHILLONG, AUG 2: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday said the National Education Policy (NEP) has to be implemented in the state and the government is taking necessary steps to implement the same in all government colleges and institutions.
The government however cannot give a blanket signal but will do as much as it can to support government-aided institutions during the transition period.
Addressing the media, Sangma said NEP is something which the state has to implement and obviously, there is a consensus on the fact that the NEP is good for the students.
“Therefore, that aspect is very clear. Nobody is against the NEP. However, the challenges in implementing it are in terms of manpower and the infrastructure that is required. Therefore, in any kind of change that is there in the system transition has its own challenges and hence, we don’t expect or that everything will happen in a smooth manner but we understand that it is not so simple and hence the challenges will be there,” he said.
Asked on the kind of support the government will provide to ensure NEP is fully implemented in Meghalaya, the CM said that the government is taking all the necessary steps required for implementing the NEP in all government colleges.
As far as deficit colleges are concerned, he said the deficit colleges are being independently run by management committees with the support of the government.
“Wherever government has given support (to deficit colleges) that support will continue and we will see to what extent we can support. Since there are lots of (such) colleges, we cannot just give a blanket signal that we will do everything (for them),” Sangma maintained.
He stressed that the management committees and the college sponsors will also have to work hand in hand with the government to ensure NEP is fully implemented in such institutions.
“We will have to see how it goes but as I said the government will also be there to support in whatever way possible we cannot commit and say that everything will be done by the government but we will do our best.”
Reminding that there are different categories of colleges in the state, the CM said, “Government colleges are run by the government and hence, obviously everything has to be done by the government. Deficit colleges are run by management committees and sponsors and government support in certain posts that are there and adhoc also we give a lump sum grant. So in the second and third category, we will do as much as we can.”
To another query, Sangma said that the state’s education department and the NEHU will discuss with the respective colleges which are affiliated to NEHU that there is a need to implement NEP.
“Hence, that discussion will happen on a case to case basis. But from a larger perspective as I said there is no opposition to the NEP. Everybody knows that it is in the best interest and hence everybody agrees that it should happen,” he stated.
“Everybody also understands that there is a huge challenge to it. It is not that it is easy as all transitions are difficult and hence we will have to ensure that whatever challenges that are there, we have to slowly overcome those challenges. There will be lots of financial challenges, capacity building, room infrastructure – all of these will have to be created,” he further added.
According to the CM, everybody has to be taken into confidence to ensure the success implementation of the NEP.
By Our Reporter
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