SHILLONG, JUL 6: More than 1,300 government Lower Primary schools across Meghalaya have been given a facelift under the state’s Mission Education initiative, as the government pushes ahead with what it calls one of its biggest school infrastructure overhauls to date.
According to a statement issued by the state government on Monday, 1,391 of the 1,607 LP schools identified for repair and renovation have been completed, while work on the remaining 216 is progressing.
This puts the completion rate at over 86 per cent for the LP schools taken up in the current phase.
The programme, being rolled out in all 12 districts, is not limited to primary schools alone.
It also covers upper primary, secondary and higher secondary institutions, with the government earmarking close to Rs 1,000 crore for the overall effort to upgrade and build new school infrastructure.
Beyond repairs, the mission has also focused on constructing new and upgraded LP and UP school buildings.
The government said 198 such buildings were completed in the first phase, followed by 93 new LP buildings in the second phase. In the third phase, 1,391 LP schools were renovated and 62 new LP buildings delivered, while another 55 are still being worked on.
The fourth phase, which proposes 186 new LP and secondary school buildings, is currently at the tendering stage.
In total, the state has taken up over 2,000 LP and UP school works, with 1,744 already finished.
The renovation has addressed long-pending issues of leaking roofs, damaged walls, flooring, doors and windows, and has also brought in better furniture, libraries and sanitation facilities in many schools.
Upgraded upper primary schools such as Government UPS Mowkaiaw in West Jaintia Hills and Nogorpara Government UPS in South West Garo Hills were highlighted as examples of the work being done.
The government said every school’s progress is being tracked through geo-tagged and time-stamped photographs to maintain transparency.
It also clarified that photographs circulating of schools yet to be renovated do not represent the broader picture, noting that most government LP schools have either been completed or are actively being worked on.
With nearly 15,000 elementary schools in the state, officials maintained that the transformation is being carried out in stages to ensure quality and coverage, and that education will continue to remain the top priority in budgetary allocations.
By Our Reporter
