The result of the Class XII Science and Commerce streams of the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE) was a shocker in more ways than one. In the Science stream, nine out of ten toppers are from one institution only, leaving just one position for the others. Similarly in the Commerce stream the same institution cornered seven out of the ten positions (with the 8th and 9th positions being shared with two other schools). Other missionary run institutions which used to corner pride of place in these examinations have been ousted out. The pass percentage of 71.87% in Commerce and 76.76% in Science don’t reveal much and as usual are taken in their stride. And this is the actual malady of the state of Education in Meghalaya.
Over the years, students who fare well in their Class X examination and wish to pursue the Science stream have tended to shift to schools offering the CBSE syllabus which is at par across the country. This gives them a competitive edge when they sit for entrance exams for engineering courses such as the Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Exam (IIT JEE) or the All India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE). Also those opting for Medicine now have to sit for the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET). Students from Meghalaya who fail to make it to the state quota for Medicine and Engineering have to appear for the national entrance examinations and the CBSE syllabus is designed for these exams. Many of them already join online coaching centers from Class IX onwards for optimum performance. It can be safely stated therefore that the best students have migrated to the CBSE stream, leaving MBOSE with the rest. The MBOSE syllabus over the years whether in Arts, Science or Commerce has left much to be desired. The results of the Science and Commerce streams from schools in Garo Hills suggest that there are major lacunae in teaching-learning. The school authorities need find out what ails Science and Commerce education in that region. In the absence of a State Education Policy, Meghalaya continues to flounder and its student population is the worst affected.