Chief minister Mukul Sangma inaugurates Durama College building in Tura on Tuesday. Picture by UB photos

Shillong, Dec. 13: The Meghalaya government is planning to provide scholarships to aspiring teachers to ensure quality teaching in educational institutions.

The government will introduce scholarship schemes for students who want to take up teaching as a profession. It will also introduce special courses on teaching by partnering non-government schools and colleges, chief minister Mukul Sangma said today after inaugurating the newly-constructed building of Durama College at Rongkhon in Tura, West Garo Hills.

According to the chief minister, the state should have youths who take up teaching “by choice and not by default”.

The chief minister admitted that there are a lot of untrained teachers in the state and the initiative to provide scholarships to young boys and girls who aspire to become teachers will help change the prevailing situation.

Commenting on the lack of academic atmosphere in rural areas, Sangma said the government had come up with an idea to set up residential schools in every block on the model of Shillong’s Pine Mount School and added that sanction for 10 such schools would be given within this financial year.

The chief minister also urged the educational institutions to tie up with departments like industries and other government agencies for skill development among the students.

Sangma congratulated the governing body, the staff and the students of Durama College for their achievement and said the college had been highly rated by parents in Garo hills.

The new building was constructed at a cost of Rs.1.34 crore by Meghalaya Government Construction Company on 70 bighas donated by the nokma (headman) of Megonggre. Besides the college building, two hostels for boys and girls have also been constructed. Durama College was set up under the leadership of president of the governing body I.K. Sangma, who was also its founder-principal, with the support of some noted academicians.

It is the third premier college in Garo hills and has now completed 18 years.

I.K. Sangma sought the support of the government to provide better facilities for teachers in the form of deficit grant-in-aid, for completion of the remaining building and to open a science stream in the college. The chief minister assured that the government had decided to give a one-time assistance to the college to start commerce and science courses.

The executive chairman, Meghalaya Board of School Education, E.P. Harbhih, said the government was supporting the college by giving an ad hoc grant of Rs 2.5 lakh every year.