GUWAHATI: Meghalaya got its first state-owned university on Monday, 53 years after attaining statehood. Named after the state’s first chief minister, the Captain Williamson Sangma State University at Balalgre in South West Garo Hills was inaugurated by CM Conrad K Sangma.The university was in the news recently when the state’s education minister Rakkam Sangma stated the state government decided to consecrate the university in the Christian way. “If Parliament can be blessed with Hindu rituals, why not Christian rituals in a Christian state?” he argued.An NGO ‘Thma U Rangli-Juki’, however, slammed him for the “toxic fundamentalist statement” and asked him to retract it. Later, he claimed that he was misquoted by media. Official sources said no consecration took place on Monday.Meanwhile, terming it a “red letter day”, CM Sangma said the university would not only cater to higher education but would also promote research and innovation, ensuring transformative changes in the state’s educational scenario. He said the operationalisation of the university was a commitment of the government to the people.“In over 50 years of existence, the state had no university of its own. The establishment of the state-owned university is testimony to our government’s initiative to promote growth and development of the education sector,” Sangma said. “This university is not just a name, it is a promise. A promise of hope, growth, and limitless possibilities for the people of Meghalaya,” he added.
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