Shillong, Oct 31: The government on Friday launched the first academic session of the Shillong Government College of Engineering at the college campus in Mawlai.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, along with others, opened the academic session.
Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong, Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui, Chief Secretary, Shakil Ahammed, Commissioner & Secretary, Education, Vijay Kumar Mantri and Arts and Culture Minister Sanbor Shullai were present for the academic inauguration.
In his address, the chief minister described the day as “truly historic” for Meghalaya, stating that years from now, people would look back at this as the day the state’s first government Engineering College began.
Tynsong, in his address, congratulated the principal, faculty, and the first batch of 50 students who had joined the college.
Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui expressed happiness at witnessing the rapid expansion of higher and technical education in Meghalaya. He noted that before 2018, the state had only five government colleges, but in the last seven years, several new institutions — including those in Mawkyrwat, Rongjeng, Patharkhmah, and now Shillong — have been established under the leadership of the Chief Minister.
Rymbui added that over 650 posts have been sanctioned for various colleges and that student scholarships have grown significantly, from 5,000–6,000 recipients before 2018 to around 45,000 today.
During the programme, the Chief Minister also unveiled a plaque commemorating the inauguration of the first academic session and also unveiled the foundation stone for the construction of a new RCC building at Shillong Polytechnic. The project includes workshops, laboratories, an examination centre, a smart classroom, and teachers’ rooms, funded by the North Eastern Council under the Ministry of DoNER, Government of India.
