
Shillong: The Minister in charge of the Education, Rakkam A Sangma, firmly stated that the government would not permit anyone to play politics or do business within the school administration and education sector.
This statement came in response to questions about the Meghalaya College Teacher’s Association (MCTA) accusing the government of implementing the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 solely to please the political bosses in power at the Centre.
Sangma, while addressing reporters, emphasized, “In my opinion, and with all due respect to everyone, there should be no room for politics or business in the education sector. The government will not tolerate any such involvement in the administration and education sector.”
Nevertheless, the Minister disclosed that the government was committed to implementing the new NEP 2020. He informed that nearly all colleges affiliated with the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) had already adopted this new policy. He also mentioned that most colleges had commenced their sessions on August 1st.
When asked about the challenges, Sangma acknowledged the necessity of hiring additional staff. However, he pointed out that in the two years prior to implementing the NEP 2020, the government had introduced People’s College and had created 509 sanctioned positions for Lecturers, including teaching and non-teaching staff, to address the challenges posed by the new policy.
However, the implementation of the new NEP 2020 has faced significant criticism from the College Teacher’s Association. The Association stand firm in their protest against this new education policy, with the MCTA general secretary informed that 22 colleges affiliated with the university are boycotting the first semester classes.