SSLC toppers, ULLAS achievers from Khasi-Jaintia Hills felicitated
Shillong, April 10: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has hailed marked improvement in the success rate in Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) over the years in Meghalaya.
He said this while felicitating SSLC toppers from Khasi and Jaintia Hills at a programme in Shillong on Friday.
The chief minister said a few years back the pass percentage of SSLC examination was very low and this disturbed him greatly.
Meanwhile, he informed that the toppers from Garo Hills will be felicitated on April 18 in Tura.
“It was very sad to see the low pass percentage but things have started improving and I am positive that in the long run we will be able to bring about significant changes in the education scenario,” he said.
Explaining the objective of the felicitation of toppers, he said, “The purpose of this programme today is very simple. It is just to tell you that we are proud of you and your hard work and perseverance is appreciated and recognised.”
Sangma urged the toppers to carry on with their discipline, persistence, dedication and diligence.
“Remember to follow your heart and passion in life yet remain humble and grounded,” he said.
The programme was also attended by Education Minister Lakhmen Rymbui and Commissioner & Secretary, Education, Vijay Kumar Mantri among others.
‘Work together for 100% literacy’
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister and the dignitaries also felicitated the ULLAS achievers and the oldest ULLAS learners from the Khasi and the Jaintia regions during the occasion.
The ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society) scheme is a 2022-2027 central initiative promoting functional literacy and lifelong learning for adults (aged 15+) who missed formal education.
Addressing the ULLAS achievers, he said, the government is very clear in its approach of inclusiveness.
“I felicitated the toppers of SSLC exams this morning and while they are very important so are our elders and seniors who are not literate yet, but aspire to be so, and, if we are not able to touch the lives of these people our mission is incomplete,” he said.
Terming ULLAS as a noble programme, he said many did not have the opportunity to become literate but this programme reaches to those who have a desire to read and write.
He urged everyone to work together towards achieving the 100% literacy rate.
“We are nearing the 100% literacy rate but we have to work together as a society to bring transformations in education while empowering all sections of society,” he said.
In his address, Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui informed that about two lakh people in Meghalaya are still illiterate.
“Literacy does not mean being a matriculate or graduate but to have the basic knowledge of reading, writing, numeracy and life skills and about 8% of our population still fall under the illiterate category,” he said.
The minister urged all stakeholders to work towards achieving the benchmark of 95% to be considered as a fully literate state.
ULLAS focuses on volunteerism for teaching, offering training in literacy, critical life skills, and vocational skills through hybrid (online/offline) modes.
The scheme covers five areas: Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, Critical Life Skills (digital/financial literacy), Basic Education, Vocational Skills, and Continuing Education.
