Leisha Agarwal from St Margaret’s HS School and Avila Kathrene P Lyngdoh of
North Liberty HS School, Jowai jointly secured the top position with 582 marks
Meghalaya creates new record with overall pass percentage of 87.10%
Our Bureau
SHILLONG/TURA/NONGPOH, April 5: Leisha Agarwal from St Margaret’s Higher Secondary School, Shillong and Avila Kathrene P Lyngdoh of North Liberty Higher Secondary School, Jowai (both with 582 marks), jointly secured the top position among the Top 20 rank holders in this year’s Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations conducted by the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBoSE), results of which were declared on Saturday.
Evanshan Nongrum from Sacred Heart Boys’ Higher Secondary School, Shillong, and Pori Panday of Jawaharlal Nehru Higher Secondary School, Phulbari, bagged the second position with 578 marks each.
The third rank was shared by three students — Anushmita Choudhury from St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Shillong; Sourav Pandey from Alpha English Secondary School, Nongpoh; and Eulogemene Rilin L Suting from KJP Synod Mihngi Higher Secondary School, Jowai all of whom scored 576 marks.
Anamika Singh of Gorkha Secondary School, Upper Shillong, secured the fourth position with 572 marks. The fifth rank was jointly held by Taesha Grace Pakyntein of Christian Academy School, Shillong; Manderson Thongni of Mawpdai Secondary School; Esther D Shira of Sherwood School, Tura; and Mahir Islam of Mahendraganj Secondary School, with 570 marks apiece.
The number of rank holders has risen dramatically to 85 this year, up from 37 last year.
A total of 63,682 students appeared for the SSLC examinations this year, of which 55,473 passed. The overall pass percentage stood at an impressive 87.10%, a record for Meghalaya.
The number of candidates this year reflects a significant increase from last year’s 54,134, largely due to the elimination of the Selection Test.
The pass percentage has seen a significant improvement compared to previous years. In 2024, it was 55.80%, in 2023 it was 51.93%, in 2022 it stood at 56.96%, and in 2021 it was 52.90%.
Out of the 15,192 regular students who appeared this year, 13,683 passed, resulting in a pass percentage of 85.99%. Students from 696 schools across the state took part in this year’s SSLC examinations.
Among the successful candidates, 32,747 are girls and 22,726 are boys. A total of 18,903 students passed in five subjects, while 36,570 cleared all six subjects.
Additionally, 341 schools achieved a 100% pass rate this year, a substantial increase from last year’s number of 180.
This year’s results have brought widespread cheer across Meghalaya, with schools from both the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo Hills regions performing exceptionally well and securing positions in the Top 20 merit list.
While Shillong schools dominated the merit list, accounting for 40 of the total entries in the Top 20 list, the spotlight was also shared by promising students from outside the urban hubs.
A remarkable 22 students from rural parts of Meghalaya—such as Nongpoh, Nongstoin, Mairang and other non-urban regions—secured positions in the prestigious Top 20 list.
These students came from schools outside the traditional educational strongholds of Shillong, Tura and Jowai.
Tura too had a strong showing this year with 10 students making it to the merit list, followed by four students from Jowai. Eight students appearing from private institutions made it to the list.
West Jaintia Hills emerged as the best-performing district with a pass percentage of 96.03%, followed by Eastern West Khasi Hills at 95.54%. South West Khasi Hills took the third spot with 94.93%, while East Khasi Hills (92.54%) and East Jaintia Hills (92.40%) rounded out the top five. Other districts such as West Khasi Hills (90.50%), Ri-Bhoi (89.33%), and South Garo Hills (88.32%) also posted encouraging results.
The Garo Hills region saw more mixed outcomes. West Garo Hills reported a pass percentage of 80.50%, East Garo Hills at 80.31%, North Garo Hills at 75.76%, and South West Garo Hills at 74.77%.
It may be mentioned that the MBoSE from this year has decided to conduct the SSLC examination twice annually as part of its reforms programme.
The board plans to hold the first examination in February–March, and students who did not pass will get another opportunity to appear in the second exam to be held in April–May.
This initiative aims to provide quicker results, allowing students to secure admission to schools and colleges without unnecessary delays.
GARO HILLS
The five districts of Garo Hills showed the way with marked improvement, pass percentage increases manifold.
For ages people in Garo Hills have prayed for their wards to pass with flying colours in the SSLC – a dream that kept them on the edge for months together. Finally, students from Garo Hills have not only ensured they didn’t bring down the overall pass percentage of the state, some districts have even gone so far as to bolster it.
South Garo Hills (SGH) which had a pass percentage in the 20s has now gone up above the state average, ensuring 2913 out of 3298 (88.32%) students passed the exams.
In Garo Hills, a total of 27,961 students took the SSLC exams while 21,858 passed, an overall pass percentage of 78.17, a far cry from the 32% that Garo Hills achieved in the past year.
Immediately after the results were declared, there was elation everywhere across Garo Hills.
While the entire state achieved 87.10% as the pass percentage, it is the first time that Garo Hills held its head high and competed to be amongst the best.
The record pass percentage could alter more than just the education scenario in the state. It could be a harbinger for the days and years to come as the region grapples with infrastructure, teacher among other issues.
“The old adage that numbers don’t lie holds true for the results of the SSLC examination 2025 and numbers are there for all to cherish. The fact that both the urban and rural sectors have done extremely well augurs well for a sector that is grappling with multiple issues,” felt an educationist.
At least 18 students from Garo Hills actually made it to the merit list – a huge increase from the single digit numbers that had become the norm. The number could be more than 18 since some students in the merit list belonged to private (or unrecognized) institutes.
RI-BHOI
Alpha English Higher Secondary School, Nongpoh, has once again brought honour to Ri-Bhoi, with two of its students securing positions in the Top 20 list.
Sourav Pandey was ranked 3rd in the state with 576 marks, while Nandini Kumar secured the 6th position with 569 marks.
Apart from these two, Queency Kharsohnoh from Umroi Presbyterian Secondary School stood 7th with 568 marks, and Ineshabakor Nongrum from Nehru Higher Secondary School, Umsing, was ranked 14th with 561 marks—bringing the total to four students from Ri-Bhoi making it to the Top 20 list.
This academic success has significantly elevated the district’s standing and is a testament to the growing emphasis on education in the region.