Shillong, Oct 3 : Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday expressed concern about low pass percentage in schools and launched a special initiative to deal with it.

Rolled out as CM-IMPACT programme, CM Sangma said, "We have to systematically untangle the problem and move forward with a goal. We have a long-drawn plan to improve our quality of education. The objective is to improve the quality as well as the pass percentage."

The pass percentage of the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) Examination in Meghalaya has been alarmingly low, remaining around 53 per cent for several years.

Significant disparities exist among districts, with some recording pass rates as low as 25 per cent, particularly in Garo Hills.

Thirty-six schools have reported a zero per cent pass percentage for the last three consecutive years, and 124 schools recorded zero per cent in 2024.

The Chief Minister urged the teacher to break down the issues to improve the pass percentage and address them accordingly.

He also asked the teachers to categorise the students, identify their weaknesses, and work on improving their marks.

He further advised the teachers to prepare students to crack the examination code.

"Every exam has a particular format and a code. As a teacher, we should prepare the students to identify the pattern and prepare accordingly," CM Sangma said.

As part of the CM-IMPACT programme, the Education Department will provide a guidebook for students and teachers which will also be available in the form of an app with regular updates.

Moreover, intranet connectivity will also be made available at the block level for better accessibility.

Distributing the guidebooks to teachers, CM Sangma said that it is important for different stakeholders to meet often to discuss and plan timely interventions to address the problem.

Meanwhile, CM Sangma further said that the government has decided to conduct supplementary examinations within two months of the declaration of secondary results, which will give them an opportunity for students to clear their examinations without losing a year.

Accordingly, the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE) will conduct supplementary examinations in the same academic year to give opportunities to students to reappear on failed subjects or improve their marks.

On the other hand, state Education Minister Rakkam Sangma urged the teachers to take advantage of emerging technologies and use the tools to make teaching engaging and informative.

The minister also suggested that teachers ignite the minds of the students so that they can grow and become informed and enlightened citizens.

"We have 55,000 plus teachers in the state, but our standard is not up to the mark. As a government, we are striving to improve upon the quality of teaching," he added.

Talking about "poor" education infrastructure and other challenges, Rakkam Sangma urged the teachers not to compromise on their commitment and provide the best education to the students.

/IANS