Meghalaya's CM-IMPACT PLUS: how the new school grant scheme works

Meghalaya has stopped sanctioning new teacher-salary grants to private schools and replaced them with a performance-linked funding scheme for secondary and higher secondary education called CM-IMPACT PLUS.

The scheme, short for Chief Minister's Initiative to Maximize Pass Achievement and Classroom Triumph PLUS, was notified on November 4 by Education Commissioner and Secretary Vijay Kumar Mantri, according to Meghalaya Times and Batesi TV.

Why the change

The notification says Meghalaya has far fewer secondary and higher secondary schools than primary and upper primary schools. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said after a Cabinet meeting that the state has around 9,000 primary-level schools and that seven blocks have no secondary school at all, The Times of India reported.

Existing salary grants to private schools, except those under the deficit system, have been merged into a single Structured Pay Framework. No new salary-based grants will be sanctioned.

The three parts of the scheme

1. Yearly support for private schools. Recognised private secondary and higher secondary schools can get recurring aid to cover the verified gap between their income and spending. Base support is Rs 10 lakh a year for a secondary school and Rs 12 lakh for a higher secondary school, adjusted between 60 and 120 per cent depending on:

• the school's Meghalaya School Performance Grading Index (MS-PGI) grade;
• SSLC and HSSLC pass rates and enrolment;
• fee collection, rural or remote location, own land and playground, and whether it runs Classes 1 to 12.

The grant can never exceed the certified gap. Schools must have sent students for SSLC or HSSLC exams for at least two years, keep audited accounts and have a working management committee.

2. One-time upgrade grant. Private schools running for at least five years with good results can get help to add Classes 9-10 or 11-12 where nearby government or aided schools are missing or full. It can cover land, buildings, labs, libraries and limited running costs for three years.

3. Infrastructure grants for government schools. These can only be used for building repairs, toilets, drinking water, ramps and electrical safety, released in 40:40:20 instalments as work progresses.

How it will run

Schools apply to the State Education Mission Authority of Meghalaya (SEMAM), which checks documents and inspects them before an Apex Committee chaired by the Chief Minister decides. The scheme will be funded from the existing grant-in-aid budget, with no separate amount fixed.

The notification makes clear the money is not a salary grant and gives teachers no right to be absorbed into government service. Grants can be cut, stopped or recovered for false information, financial irregularities or falling results.