Just weaken its schools.” That’s what Meghalaya’s Congress leader Manuel Badwar said this week; not as rhetoric, but as a warning. The state government wants to shift teacher recruitment from the Education Department to SEMAM; a move critics say could turn teaching into a contract job with no job security, no fixed pay, and no certainty. Why? Because recruitment will now depend on “availability of funds.” Translation: If the money’s low this year, no new teachers. Badwar’s point is chilling; when education becomes conditional, not constitutional, communities crumble. Teachers with the same qualifications could be paid differently. Young grads will think twice before choosing teaching. And schools? Already struggling with low PGI scores and crumbling infrastructure, they’ll get worse. What’s worse; this policy was announced via a letter, not debated in the Assembly. And Assembly sessions? Shorter than ever. No room for real discussion. No accountability. Education isn’t an expense. It’s the future. And if you treat it like a line item that can be cut; you’re not saving money. You’re erasing generations. This isn’t just about teachers. It’s about who gets to shape the next generation of Meghalaya; and whether anyone’s really listening.