A jump in school exam success rate is as concerning as a dip, as contrasting reactions to the results in two northeastern States suggest.
Days after the Voice of the People Party (VPP), Meghalaya’s new regional party on the upswing, criticised the State government for pushing guidebooks to register an unprecedented pass percentage of 87.10, the Congress criticised Assam’s education policy for a 12% drop in the Class X exam success rate.
The results of the High School Leaving Certificate or Class X exam conducted by the Secondary Education Board of Assam were announced on Friday (April 11, 2025). The overall pass percentage dropped to 63.98% from 75.7% in 2024.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said the results raise serious concerns. “This is a clear sign that the government is failing the youth of Assam. The only focus of the Himanta Biswa Sarma government is on closing down schools,” he said, questioning the effectiveness of the much-vaunted model schools established in many tea estates.
“The Chief Minister must allow the Education Minister to perform his duties instead of continuously sidelining him. The Assam government must take urgent, targeted action to improve access, equity, and quality in secondary education,” Mr. Gogoi said.
Ranoj Pegu, the Education Minister, noted that the pass percentage among the Scheduled Caste and “tea garden” or Adivasi students was below the State average at 58.56% and 51.89% respectively.
“In the 2025-26 academic year, the Education Department will prioritise focused interventions in these two social sectors to bridge the learning gap and promote inclusive educational growth,” he said.
Guidebook-powered
In Meghalaya, the VPP has been criticising the National People’s Party-led coalition government for using guidebooks to fuel a record pass percentage of 87.10 — more than double the 2024 figure in some districts — potentially at the cost of the children’s future. The State’s Secondary School Leaving Certificate or Class X exam results were declared on April 5.
“We are happy that most students have succeeded, but we are concerned about the quality of education. If the high pass percentage does not translate into higher learning outcomes, we are doing a disservice to our children,” VPP spokesperson Batskhem Myrboh, an academician, said.
He demanded the scrapping of the exam-oriented guidebooks provided under the CM-IMPACT (Chief Minister’s Initiative to Maximise Pass Achievement and Classroom Triumph, launched in 2024) project. Educators in Meghalaya have been questioning the utility of these guidebooks, which they feel may not strengthen the foundation of the students for higher studies.
Meghalaya’s Education Minister, Rakkam A. Sangma, responded to the VPP’s criticism. “These guidebooks are not mandatory, and the results reflect the hard work the students put in,” he said.
“People were unhappy when the results were poor. They are still unhappy when the results have improved significantly,” he added.
The Class X success rate in Meghalaya was 55.8% in 2024.
