SHILLONG — Padu Bah Government Lower Primary School, established in 1954, has received a new seven-room building, inaugurated by Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Wednesday.
The building was constructed under the DSEL Scheme 2023–26 and is expected to ease the space constraints faced by the school, which currently has 95 students and four teachers. Rymbui said the government was expanding educational facilities in the Amlarem subdivision, including higher secondary education, RMSA schools and Eklavya Model Residential School opportunities. He also pointed to textbook, uniform and scholarship support available to students.
The minister urged students to look beyond government jobs and develop practical skills linked to agriculture, tourism, traditional skills and local products. He also referred to CM-Elevate, Hello Meghalaya and the Community Integrated Skills Learning initiative as avenues for young people to build livelihoods.
He asked teachers to continue upgrading their skills through professional training and urged parents to remain actively involved in their children’s education.
The school’s history stretches back to the Welsh Presbyterian missionaries, who established it as a Basic School in 1954. It later came under the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council before being taken over by the State Government in 1994. Retired teacher Ephriam Pohlong, who served the school for 37 years, recalled a time when classrooms were cramped and sheets were used as partitions.
The school has submitted a memorandum seeking an additional classroom, separate toilets for boys and girls and a playground. MDC Het Pohthmi and SDSEO W. Nonghuloo also stressed teacher development, parental involvement and quality education as the school moves into its next phase.
