SHILLONG, AUG 18: The Meghalaya Cabinet on Wednesday approved six education-related bills, including amendments to three existing private university acts, proposals for two new universities, and the repeal of one Act.
After a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, Cabinet Minister and MDA spokesperson Wailadmiki Shylla said all six agenda items pertained to the Education Department.
“Today we have six formal agenda items for discussion and all six agendas are from the Education department. Mostly these are bills — three are amendments, two are new bills to be placed in the House and one is the repeal,” Shylla told reporters.
The Cabinet approved amendments to the Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Meghalaya (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Mahatma Gandhi University (Amendment) Bill, 2026 to align them with UGC norms.
Under the changes, the Governor will now be the visitor instead of the sponsoring body. Government representation has also been increased — from one to two in the Board of Management and from two to three in the Board of Governors.
The Martin Luther Christian University (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was also cleared. Shylla said the amendment limits the university’s functioning to Meghalaya, removes distance education which is not allowed for private universities, and bars it from affiliating colleges, in line with UGC regulations.
The Cabinet also gave its nod to two new university bills. The Sister Nivedita University, Meghalaya Bill, 2026 proposes a university in Byrnihat, while the Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian University, Meghalaya Bill, 2026 proposes one in Sohiong.
The International Open University (Repeal) Bill was the sixth item cleared. Shylla said the Act was passed in 2011 but remained non-operational.
“Then in 2022, some people came forward with a power of attorney, but later we came to know there was a conflict,” he said.
The Cabinet decided to repeal it as the name violated UGC norms.
“The word ‘International’ is there, and ‘Open University’ is also there, which is not allowed as per UGC norms. So the Cabinet felt it is better to avoid any kind of problem in the future. That is why we are repealing this Act.”
All six bills will be placed in the next session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.
By Our Reporter
