The National Peoples Party today alleged the Mukul Sangma government in Meghalaya has "failed" to implement the Right to Education and nearly one lakh students have dropped out of school during the past four years.
The NPP which will contest at least 51 seats in February 27 Meghalaya Assembly election in a document said, "With the Right to Education (RTE) it was hoped the education at the elementary level in Meghalaya would receive a big boost ... the programme in Meghalaya did not achieve the very objectives it set out to fulfil."
It said "Haste, lack of proper planning, ignorance of ground reality, financial miscalculations and general apathy are all to blame for the failure of our education system."
Sarva Shiksha Abiyan which has helped reduced the annual average drop-out rate at the primary level from 9.11 per cent in 2009-10 to 4.13 per cent in 2015-16, but in Meghalaya nearly one lakh students have dropped out from schools over the last four years, the NPP document said.
It also pointed out various government reports which revealed deficiencies in the programme although the state achieved an enrolment level of 95 to 98 per cent during 2010-16.
"The performance of this programme suggested by different government reports revealed deficiencies in preparation of Perspective Plan, attainment of universal elementary education, coverage of Out of School Children (OOSC) and Children with Special Needs (CWSN)," it said.
The NPP called for proper evaluation of the financial and political climate in Meghalaya with an aim to ensure that primary education does not go awry.
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