Shillong: Meghalaya will be the first Indian state to revamp its secondary education and skill development under a new project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma informed media persons in the state capital of Shillong on April 3 that the project, “Supporting Human Capital Development in Meghalaya,” has chosen more than 100 government aided schools in the northeastern Indian state.
ADB had roped in Meghalaya three years ago to improve its secondary education and vocational training.
Sungsup Ra, director of the Human and Social Development Division in ADB’S South Asia Department, said that the US$100 million project will help ensure that students in Meghalaya will have the right curriculum, teaching and equipment that will ultimately hone their skills for future jobs.
The chief minister said the funding agency looks at the credit worthiness of the state to approve project. According to him, the new project will improve the quality of the learning environment for nearly 20,000 poor students, 40 percent of them girls. It will also train 3,500 under-qualified teachers.
The Meghalaya government will pool additional US$25 million for the project. The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction for capacity building of civil society organizations and government departments and agencies in the state will add US$2 million.
The chief minister said they have to move fast as the project has to be completed in five years. “None can develop in isolation these days, instead it is essential to equip the children to face the challenges and become competent global citizens,” he added.
The ADB is a regional development bank established in 1966 with headquarters in in Ortigas Center located in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines.
The bank admits members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific , formerly the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East and non-regional developed countries.