There are not enough places in government higher secondary schools to cope with the number of SSLC examinees who passed the Class 10 boards, the Federation of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) has told the Chief Minister.
The record high pass rate this year – 96 per cent statewide after the supplementary results are taken into consideration – means that there are more students this year seeking places in higher secondary schools (Class 11 and 12) than last year and existing institutions simply do not have the space.
The shortfall is being keenly felt in Garo Hills, especially the area’s education hub of Tura, where most aspiring students from the region choose to pursue their higher secondary education.
The pressure group said that it has identified around 300 students who have been seeking places in government higher secondary schools in Tura, with a further 200 to 300 anticipated further. While places are available in certain private schools the fees for these institutions are out of reach for more marginalised members of society.
Unless the government takes some initiative, the FKJGP predicts that many of these students will, if unable to gain admission to government schools, quit academics, which would hurt their future prospects.
The FKJGP thus provided some of its own suggestions to cope with the extra number of students. These include the introduction of morning and evening classes in government schools; subsidise admission fees and waive monthly fees in private or semi-private schools; and introduce incentives to join vocational/trade schools.
The pressure group also referred to rumours and fears that the state government will dispense with the SSLC examination from this academic year. This is, the FKJGP said, in keeping with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. It claimed that simpler questions and the CM Impact guidebook led to the high pass rate and the conduct of the first supplementary exams in more than 30 years as suggestive that the SSLC exam will be scrapped from this year onwards. The FKJGP claimed to be speaking for parents, teachers and students when it called on the government not to implement the NEP at present as it will have a detrimental effect on students and it should only be introduced in higher education once necessary infrastructure, extra staff, etc are ready.
