Our Bureau
SHILLONG/TURA, April 7: From a barber’s modest home in Tura to the remote borders of Mahendraganj, this year’s MBoSE SSLC toppers have shattered the myth that academic excellence is a luxury of the Shillong elite, proving that grit and digital self-learning are the new equalisers in Meghalaya’s education landscape.
The merit list reveals a significant shift in the state’s academic geography. Vishal Kumar, who secured the second rank from Embee Rosebud School in Tura, serves as the face of this year’s “democratisation of merit.” The son of a barber and a homemaker, Vishal’s success was built on parental sacrifice rather than expensive coaching. “They sacrificed their own desires to ensure I could focus on my studies,” Vishal said, adding that he relied on focused sessions of two to three hours daily and plans to remain in Tura for his intermediate studies.
In the Garo Hills and beyond, students like Churchill Leithanthem (Rank 20—Sherwood School, Tura) and Prinita Das (Rank 3—Pechon Memorial PP School, Tura) demonstrated that the monopoly of the capital’s elite schools is being challenged. Churchill, aiming for an engineering career via NERIST, specifically credited his Hindi teacher for helping him navigate his goal, while Prinita intends to pursue medicine in Tura.
The results also highlight a stark academic trend: a near-universal pivot toward the Science stream. From Prajukta Roy (Rank 3- Seven Set Higher Secondary School, Shillong) and Zaynial Banshan S Marbaniang (Rank 18—All Saints’ Diocesan Higher Secondary School, Shillong) to Vivek Sharma (Rank 11—St. Anthony’s Higher Secondary School), who aspires to join the NDA and aviation, every top-tier student interviewed expressed a preference for Science. This collective drive toward medicine and engineering raises questions about whether the state’s brightest minds are being funneled into a single lane, potentially at the expense of the humanities and arts.
For the students in Shillong, the focus remained on discipline and unconventional routines. Nathanael Mantre Laloo (Rank 4) of Seven Set Higher Secondary School argued against the “coaching culture” by balancing academics with music, sports and cooking. Similarly, Zaynial Marbaniang emphasised that time management—balancing books with mobile use and rest—was more effective than rote learning.
The intensity of preparation varied across the list. While Prajukta Roy maintained a steady two-to-three-hour daily routine using only NCERT textbooks, Ishant Bhatt (Rank 7—St. Anthony’s Higher Secondary School, Shillong) and Vivek Sharma reported shifting into “overdrive” during the winter break, with Bhatt clocking up to 15 hours of study a day. Reedhi Baidya (Rank 15—All Saints Diocesan Higher Secondary School) said she adopted a flexible study pattern and studied based on comfort, but bumped up study time to seven to eight hours a day during examinations.
Concentrated study sessions rather than long hours are what worked for Deep Jyoti Koch of Nirupama Memorial Higher Secondary School, Garobadha, who secured the 16th rank.
“I did not study for long durations, but for one or two hours with full concentration, though my study hours increased during the exams,” Koch, who intends to enter the medical field, said.
For some, their support system helped them cross the finish line. Mehek Islam, the 6th position holder from Mahendraganj in South West Garo Hills, attributed her success to a supportive home environment. The daughter of teachers Mitul Islam and Khalida Khandakar, Mehek said her family never pressured her.
Firoza Akhtar of Little Angels School, Mawbah, who scored the joint 14th rank, credited her achievement to hard work and the constant encouragement of her teachers.
Ultimately, the 2024 results serve as a “proof of concept” for thousands of families in rural Meghalaya. Whether it was Churchill Leithanthem’s balanced approach or Firoza Akhtar’s reliance on school-led guidance, the message is clear: the combination of a smartphone, a textbook, and individual resolve is now enough to bridge the gap between a village candle and the bright lights of Shillong’s top institutions.
