Govt to decide on ‘Mathematics’ as compulsory subject

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Oct 27: The state government will soon take a call on
whether to make mathematics a compulsory subject in school education.

This decision was taken after a majority expressed the need to make mathematics as a compulsory subject during a meeting convened by the state education minister Rakkam A Sangma and Principals of over 30-40 secondary and higher secondary schools at the Secretariat today.

Speaking to reporters, Sangma said that many of the principals have raised concerns on the learning outcome and they have suggested the change of some textbooks to bring them at par with the national standard.

“Many are of the opinion to make mathematics compulsory but as of now, the government is yet to decide on this. We will examine the opinions and suggestions made by the principals,” he said while adding “I also personally feel and many academicians and principals also suggested that mathematics should not be made an optional paper as of now it is best of five out of six (subjects). Therefore, the government will take a decision in due process.”

The education minister said that 90 per cent of the students would opt out of mathematics.

“If we allow it, everybody wants to be in an easy and comfortable
zone. To me personally, if we allow mathematics to be an optional
paper, many students will opt out of it, that is for certain and that
is for sure but today at this generation, going for higher studies
without mathematics is something that is not appreciable but I think we are second to nobody, we can prepare well, we have the same brain with the rest of the globe and I think it is some we should decide and review,” he said.

Sangma further informed that the department has asked the Directorate of Educational Research and Training (DERT) to do research on the performance of the students before making mathematics an optional paper.

“(We want to know) how many students performed well in mathematics (before making it optional) and how many students have opted out of mathematics. All these we will get the data and we have requested the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE) and DERT to give us detailed data so that we can better information and better understanding on this matter,” he said.

Further, the minister informed that the principals attending the
meeting also pointed out that the present existing textbooks are too lengthy, many things to read and so the learning outcome is very less.

In this regard, the textbook revision committee will be sitting on
October 31 to discuss the issue.

He said the DERT will also submit its recommendations and proposals before the committee.

“The DERT has been doing the exercise for the last six or seven
months. They are consulting the experts, academicians and students, so we will see what they will recommend,” Sangma said while adding that the DERT will present comparative studies being carried out and its recommendations.

Ampareen wants report on non-functional health centres

Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh has sought a report on non-functional health care centres across the state.

This was after a delegation of the Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO) Ri Bhoi District and Dorbar Shnong of Parila village has sought her intervention to make functional the MCH hospital at the village by appointing manpower for the interest of the people of the area.

After the meeting, Lyngdoh told reporters that she will be conducting an inspection to this important health facility at Parila on May 8.

Congress MLA Celestine Lyngdoh and Nongpoh MLA Mayralborn Syiem, who is the adviser in the health department, will also be present during the inspection.

“I hope I will be able to attend to the important facility that has been used as a Covid centre and used as a quarantine centre. So we will go and we will see and until that time I hope I will do all my homework before May 8,” she said.

The minister informed that there was some issue related to staff and said, “I don’t know whether posts have been created and sanctioned or interviews have been conducted. We will have to look at the HR allocation but with the NHM in place, I am sure we will be able to run it adequately so let us wait and see what information I gather before the actual inspection.”

When asked, Lyngdoh said she will send a team of officials to inspect across the state and submit a report on non-functional health centres.

“I will take that report sometime in the first week of May and accordingly we will try to address the shortfalls and accordingly we will try to ensure that we upgrade or make all such facilities operational and it is a humongous task as I have to go across the state to check these centres,” she said while adding that “So we will begin with Parila and we will see where we go next and I am determined to make difference and I will try my best. We must make sure that if facilities have been raised they should be operational.”

On the other hand, the minister maintained that she will ensure there is no politics in this sector and said, “…at the end of the day the health facilities of the state must conform to certain standards and I am a very willing minister to ensure there is no politics in this sector at least.”

HITO demands halt of ‘faulty’ road construction

Staff Reporter

Shillong, April 6: The Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO) Mawlai circle has demanded that the state government puts on hold the construction of the PWD road stretch from Mawlai Mawroh near the Meghalaya Police Public School up to Mawroh PHC.

This demand came after a video went viral on social media showing the upper layer of the road being detached from the surface.

The HITO Mawlai Circle led by its president Wansuklang Lawriniang went for an on-site inspection and found out that a stretch of freshly laid road near Meghalaya Police Public School up to Mawroh PHC was not renovated according to the norms of PWD.

Speaking to media persons Lawriniang said that the HITO Mawlai circle had taken cognizance of the issue not just because of poor quality of work but it is also because the contractor does not have a work order on the project and also there is no estimate to carry out the work.

He alleged that there is an issue of corruption involved in the matter because, after inspection of the ongoing work, it was found that the contractor had used poor quality of materials and had not followed the norms of the PWD.

“With this poor quality of implementing the work, we can say it involves corruption since the contractor does not have a work order on the project nor the estimates” alleged Lawriniang.

In this regard, the HITO urged the government and the PWD (Roads) department to look into the matter and to stop the work immediately until the matter is probed.

Meanwhile, the contractor who does not wish to be named put the blame on the rainy season for the dilapidated condition of the road by saying that the work was done last week and the tar could not hold on to the road because of incessant rain.