Guwahati: As many as 9,767 school dropouts across Meghalaya have registered as private candidates for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination under the state’s Second Chance Learning Programme, providing those who left formal education an opportunity to resume their studies and complete Class 10.
The registered candidates are preparing for the December 2026 SSLC examination. According to the Shillong Regional Office of the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE), registrations have been received from all 12 districts.
Director of the Shillong Regional Office, MBOSE, Macdonald Marbaniang, said the strong response reflected the desire among many former students to return to education and complete their schooling.
The programme has attracted candidates from different age groups, including adolescents, young adults and older learners. There is no upper age limit for those appearing under the private SSLC pathway.
Among them is 59-year-old Sylvester Shadap from Thadrang Umngem village in Ri-Bhoi district, who left school in 1989. After a gap of nearly 37 years, Shadap is now preparing to sit for the SSLC examination.
Shadap said his decision to return to education was driven by a desire to encourage younger people, including members of his own family, who may have discontinued their studies.
He said adapting to a changed curriculum after several decades has been one of the major challenges, but he remains determined to complete his preparation and appear for the examination.
The programme currently has 171 notified learning and assessment centres across Meghalaya. Ri-Bhoi has 690 registered candidates, while the Mawlasnai centre has 185 learners.
The private SSLC pathway is intended for people who discontinued their education because of circumstances including financial difficulties, family responsibilities, migration, early marriage and geographical barriers. It allows them to prepare for the examination without having to return to a conventional full-time school.
MBOSE is overseeing the academic and examination framework, while MPOWER is supporting the initiative through community mobilisation, learner orientation, mentoring, registration, follow-up and learner tracking.
In collaboration with MBOSE, MPOWER has also helped develop and distribute free self-study materials covering Khasi, Garo, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, English and Health.
The programme also seeks to provide learners with pathways after the SSLC examination, including higher secondary education, vocational courses, skills training and livelihood opportunities.
The initiative is aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasises flexible learning, inclusion, re-entry into education and lifelong learning.
For the thousands of learners enrolled under the programme, the December SSLC examination represents an opportunity to complete their secondary education and pursue further academic, vocational and livelihood options.