Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on October 13 urged young professionals inducted into the Chief Minister’s Leadership in Education and Development (CMLEAD) Fellowship to identify gaps in the state’s education system and contribute to reforms at the grassroots level.
Speaking at an induction ceremony at his residence in Shillong, Sangma, along with Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui, handed over laptops to the fellowship’s inaugural cohort.
The CMLEAD Fellowship is a state-led initiative designed to place skilled young professionals within Meghalaya’s education system to support reforms and improve student learning outcomes across all 12 districts.
The fellows will work with Samagra Shiksha, the Directorate of Educational Research and Training (DERT) and district education offices to help plan, coordinate and implement priority education initiatives.
Emphasising the importance of community participation in governance, Sangma said government programmes should be judged by their impact on people rather than by administrative achievements alone.
“Participation from community, participation from society” is essential to determine whether the government is achieving its objectives, he said.
“Making a new building is not making education necessarily better. It is providing the infrastructure. But education becomes better when that building helps a child to get education and the quality of education goes up,” the Chief Minister said.
He noted that government officials and elected representatives are often occupied with daily administrative responsibilities, which can prevent them from fully understanding conditions on the ground. The fellows, he said, could help bridge this gap by providing first-hand feedback from schools and local communities.
Sangma described the fellowship as an opportunity for young professionals to gain practical experience in public service, comparing it to an internship with the government.
CM Calls for Clear Targets and Accountability
The Chief Minister urged the Education Department to assign fellows specific responsibilities, measurable targets and clear reporting mechanisms, backed by defined performance indicators and accountability.
Warning against fellows being left without meaningful work, Sangma said they should not simply be “moving around with a laptop”.
He suggested that each fellow visit at least one school every week and submit an honest assessment of its condition.
The assessments could cover infrastructure, toilet facilities, separate toilets for girls, availability of furniture and the quality of education. Fellows could also gather feedback by interacting directly with students.
Sangma said the Education Department would be best placed to finalise the indicators for evaluating their performance.
Focus on Community Participation
Beyond their official duties, the fellows were encouraged to mobilise local communities to help improve schools.
Where schools face shortcomings, Sangma suggested reaching out to village headmen, church pastors, students and non-governmental organisations to encourage regular school visits, voluntary teaching and other forms of support.
He said volunteers could contribute an hour or two to teaching subjects such as English, while community members could also consider adopting schools to help address their needs.
The Chief Minister invited the fellows to share ideas that could contribute to future education reforms and policy decisions. He also encouraged them to accept field assignments in remote areas, including locations where working conditions may be difficult.
“Don’t look at the problems as a challenge, look at it as an opportunity for you to be able to do something to change it,” Sangma told the fellows, wishing them success in their efforts to strengthen Meghalaya’s education sector.