Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that the Government is laying emphasis to improve elementary education in the State and has come up with a road map to invest in early childhood education programmes.
He made the remark while inaugurating the new building of the Directorate of Education Research and Training (DERT) – Annexe at Malki, Shillong, in presence of Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui and local MLA Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh.
An estimated amount of ₹ 8. 33 cr has been spent on the construction of the building, which was funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB).
He said that Meghalaya is amongst the few States in the country where an early childhood education programme has started. He said that the objective of early childhood education is to ensure that the learning capabilities of the child are tapped to its optimum potential.
Talking about performance of the children in higher examinations, the Chief Minister noted that the problem was lack of quality education at the pre and elementary level and hence the Government has come up with a mechanism to provide holistic education from early childhood.
He said that the Government has earmarked ₹ 300 cr from the externally aided projects to make investment in early childhood education programmes. He said that different interventions will be made through the programme to ensure that a child grows up in an environment where the entire learning exercise is productive.