Shillong: The Education department and Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBoSE) are scheduled to meet shortly to deliberate on holding the examination for the remaining four papers of the Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC), 2020.
“We are likely to meet on Friday. We had planned to conduct the examination from May 20 onwards, but the situation is beyond our control since the Centre has decided to extend the national lockdown”, Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said.
The remaining four papers are mathematics, statistics, physical education and western music.
Earlier, Rymbui had said that 3000-plus students would be appearing for the mathematics paper while around 70 students would appear for the remaining three.
“We would have liked to conduct the examination in the last week of May, probably even from May 20 onwards. We had chosen the date since we anticipated that by the first week of May some relaxation might be there and we could have worked on it during the two-week-plus period. There are more than 200 students, who are stranded outside the state and will need to appear for the remaining examination, especially the mathematics paper,” the minister said.
Rymbui said that they would be to take a decision in due course of time.
“I am sure we will be able to take a decision which will be in the best interests of the students,” the minister said.
Asked about plans to reopen schools, he pointed out that the Centre has already instructed that all educational institutes should remain closed till May 17.
“But as I have said before, we are ready for reopening of schools and colleges as and when the lockdown is lifted”, Rymbui said.
Meanwhile, he said that the state government has come up with the idea of imparting education to the students through educational videos through Doordarshan during the lockdown period.
Expressing happiness over it, Rymbui requested the student community to take advantage of the initiative for their benefit.
“We are in a situation where reopening of schools is not possible for now. The students for the time being can watch Doordarshan from Monday to Saturday at 11 am,” he added.