The draft education policy did not find takers though the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government has waited for more than a month to receive views and suggestions before fine-tuning it.
Copies of the draft policy have already been circulated to legislators and uploaded it in the Meghalaya education department’s website so that stakeholders can offer views and suggestion to further improve the policy.
Meghalaya education minister Lahkmen Rymbui had informed in the state Assembly during the budget session that the deadline for receiving views and suggestions on the draft policy was April 30.
However, even after waiting for more than a month, the government did not receive any suggestion from any quarter.
“Nobody has submitted views and suggestions till date. I have circulated the draft policy to all legislators and we also put the draft policy in public domain, but none has given their opinions,” Rymbui said.
To a question that the government may extend the time for receiving suggestions, Rymbui said the government was open to suggestions and the public would still have another one week to share their views either by writing to him personally or submit their views to the department.
“I do not know why nobody has offered their views, may be that the draft policy is good enough,” he said.
The minister said that the government would do all out to implement the education policy, and regretted if criticisms would come later when the government would start implementing the education policy.
Meanwhile the first meeting of the Task Force on draft education policy was held in the main secretariat here on Tuesday.
Chaired by Rymbui in the presence of Meghalaya chief minister, Conrad K. Sangma, the Task Force decided to hold another meeting to finalise the policy, and the chief minister has asked it to complete the whole process within 45 days. Educationists from various institutes including North Eastern Hill University attended the meeting.
The 21-member Task Force was constituted by the MDA government and notified on March 21 this year has been tasked with the responsibility to study the draft policy and come out with the final policy.
“The chief minister has given the Task Force 45 days to complete the process of fine tuning the draft policy before placing it before the state Cabinet for approval,” Rymbui told reporters after the meeting.
Rymbui was optimistic that the Task Force would be able to complete the process within the stipulated timeline.