‘Don’t just move around with a laptop’: Meghalaya CM sets expectations for education fellows

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on October 13 interacted with the inaugural cohort of the Chief Minister's Leadership in Education and Development (CMLEAD) Fellowship, urging young professionals to identify gaps in the state's education system and help drive reforms at the grassroots level.

At an induction ceremony held at the Chief Minister's residence in Shillong, Sangma and Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui handed over laptops to the newly inducted fellows.

The CMLEAD Fellowship is a state-led initiative aimed at placing skilled young professionals within Meghalaya's education system to support reforms and improve student learning outcomes across all 12 districts.

The fellows will work closely with Samagra Shiksha, the Directorate of Educational Research and Training (DERT) and district education offices to help design, coordinate and implement priority education initiatives.

Emphasising the importance of community participation in governance, Sangma said the success of government programmes must be assessed by their impact on people rather than 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 observed that officials and elected representatives are often occupied with day-to-day responsibilities and may miss developments on the ground. The fellows, he said, could help bridge this gap by providing first-hand feedback from schools and communities.

Describing the fellowship as an opportunity for young professionals to gain practical exposure to public service, Sangma likened it to an internship with the government.

CM calls for targets, accountability

The chief minister urged the Education Department to assign fellows specific responsibilities, measurable targets and a reporting mechanism, supported by clearly defined indicators and accountability.

He cautioned against fellows being left without meaningful responsibilities, saying they should not simply be “moving around with a laptop”.

As a basic requirement, Sangma suggested that each fellow visit at least one school every week and submit an honest assessment of conditions there.

The assessment could cover school infrastructure, the condition of toilets, separate facilities for girls, availability of furniture and the quality of learning, including feedback gathered through conversations with students.

He said the Education Department would be better placed to finalise the indicators for evaluating the fellows' work.

Call to mobilise communities

Beyond their official assignments, Sangma encouraged the fellows to involve local communities in improving schools.

Where schools fall short, he suggested approaching village headmen, church pastors, students and non-governmental organisations to encourage regular visits, voluntary teaching and other forms of community support.

He said volunteers could contribute an hour or two to teaching English or even adopt a school to help address its needs.

The chief minister also invited the fellows to share ideas that could inform future education reforms and policy decisions. He urged them to embrace field postings, including assignments in remote areas and locations with difficult working conditions.

“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.