Shillong, June 13: Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Tuesday deplored the trend of harping more on reservation rather than focusing on merit.
Addressing the gathering at Sankardev College on Tuesday after opening the two-day workshop on national education policy, Paul said the state is overwhelmed with high drop out rate and there is a need to overcome this with competitive learning.
“When we are confronted with the debate that dwells more on reservation rather than on merit, government job rather than strengthening private sector, it shows that somewhere we are sliding in our mental make up”, Paul said.
The minister said in his recent trip to Europe, he met Khasis who have worked with nuclear scientists ‘but landing back home, people are talking about why not government job, why not stable job at the government secretariat ?’.
The minister pointed out that Shillong had produced well known people like Nirad C Chaudhuri, Arundhati Roy and the inventor of ATM machine.
He also recalled that Shillong was once known as the education hub of the East attracting students not only from different parts of the country but also from Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries.
