50% marks in Physical and Health Education subject to be allocated
to skill-based learning
SHILLONG, Jan 16: In a significant move aimed at strengthening practical education and community engagement, the Meghalaya Cabinet on Friday approved the introduction of Community Integrated Skill Learning as a structured curricular component for students from Class VI to Class X.
At present, Physical and Health Education is taught as a sixth subject for Classes VI to X, with the curriculum largely confined to textbooks and theoretical inputs on health and physical activities.
The Cabinet has now decided to incorporate a Community Integrated Skill Learning component within this subject.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said that 50 per cent of the marks in the Physical and Health Education subject will be allocated to skill-based learning under the new initiative.
As part of the programme, he said students will be encouraged to identify and learn one or more practical skills, preferably linked to their family or community background.
Replying to a query, the Chief Minister clarified that it is not a separate skill project; rather, the idea is to introduce a 50 per cent skill-training component within the existing Health and Physical Education subject, where training will be community-based and delivered by parents, family members, and the local community, with students learning practical skills such as farming, gardening, fishing, or traditional family occupations. This learning, he added, will form part of their academic assessment.
He said that if a parent or guardian is engaged in activities such as baking, farming, blacksmithing, weaving, or other traditional and livelihood-based occupations, the student will be encouraged to learn that skill directly from them.
The initiative aims to ensure that students acquire practical and productive skills that could be useful later in life, while also promoting continuity of family occupations. However, the Cabinet clarified that the programme does not make it mandatory for students to pursue the same profession in the future, but seeks to expose them to real-life skills and experiences.
Sangma said the Cabinet also noted that the programme is expected to have a positive social impact, as it would strengthen interaction and coordination within families.
He said students would actively engage with parents and elders as part of their academic assessment, thereby fostering closer family bonds. Since the skill-learning component carries substantial academic weightage, it is expected to encourage meaningful participation from both students and families.
Meanwhile, under another education-related agenda item, the Cabinet approved a provision to allow admission and registration of private candidates for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate examination under the Meghalaya Board of School Education.
The move is aimed at providing a second opportunity to students who were unable to clear the matriculation examination earlier or had dropped out after upper primary education due to various socio-economic or personal reasons.
The Chief Minister exuded confidence that both these decisions would significantly improve access to education, promote skill development, and enhance future academic and employment prospects for students across the state.
