Meghalaya will set up nine community colleges to make higher education accessible to students, especially those from rural areas. The government will invest Rs 50 crore to set up these colleges.
Speaking to the media after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said the one-time capital expenditure for the colleges will be Rs 50 crore, while recurring expenditure would stand at Rs 53.11 crore.
There are two types of community colleges – Ground Field (existing ones which will get one-time investment of Rs 2 crore) and Green Field (newly set-up colleges at Rs 10 crore each).
In the first phase of the project, ground field category colleges will include Nongstoin College, Tirot Sing Memorial College, Ri Bhoi College, Shangpung College and Jaintia Eastern College, Khliehriat.
New community colleges under green field category will be Tura, Ampati, Chokpot and Rongjeng, these colleges will have science, commerce and arts streams.
Stating that the new model of colleges was conceptualised to relieve the burden on the state capital, Sangma said, “The establishment of the community colleges will address the demand and supply gap in providing seats to students who aspire to take up higher education.” This is one of the best models to ensure that students from rural areas have a dedicated college at their own backyards, the CM said.