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At 59, Sylvester Shadap is proving that it is never too late to return to school. Hailing from Thadrang Umngem village in Meghalayaโs Ri Bhoi district, Shadap left school in 1989 after financial difficulties and family responsibilities forced him to discontinue his education. Nearly four decades later, he is preparing to appear for the Class 10 SSLC examination.
Shadap is the oldest among 9,767 former school dropouts registered as private candidates for the SSLC examination under Meghalayaโs Second Chance Learning Programme.
The programme offers former dropouts an opportunity to return to formal education and complete Class 10, regardless of their age. It is designed to support adolescents, young adults and older learners who had to discontinue their schooling for financial, social or personal reasons.
For Shadap, returning to education is about more than obtaining a qualification. He wants his journey to encourage younger people, his family and others who had to abandon their studies because of difficult circumstances.
When he left school, supporting his family took priority over his education. Years later, the desire to complete what he had started remained.
โFinancial difficulties made it difficult for me to continue my education. At that time, supporting my family was more important than school. Years passed, but I always felt I had left something unfinished. I never imagined I would get another opportunity to complete my Class-10 at the age of 59,โ Shadap told PTI.
Returning to studies after a 37-year gap has also brought challenges. The curriculum has changed considerably since he was a student, requiring him to adjust to subjects, lessons and methods that are very different from what he once knew.
Despite the difficulties, Shadap remains determined to prepare for the examination, which is scheduled for December.
The Second Chance Learning Programme is a joint initiative of the Meghalaya government, the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE) and the Meghalaya Programme for Adolescent Wellbeing, Empowerment and Resilience (MPOWER).
The initiative operates across all 12 districts of Meghalaya and has 171 notified learning and assessment centres. In Ri Bhoi district alone, 690 candidates have registered for the private SSLC examination.
Macdonald Marabaniang, Director of the Shillong Regional Office of MBOSE, said the response to the programme showed that many people who had discontinued their education still wanted an opportunity to complete it.
The private SSLC system is intended for learners whose education was interrupted by circumstances such as financial hardship, family responsibilities, migration, early marriage, geographical barriers and other challenges.
The programme also aims to provide pathways beyond Class 10. Learners can be connected with higher secondary education, vocational education and skills training after completing the examination.
The initiative is also aligned with the National Education Policyโs focus on flexible learning, inclusion, re-entry into education and lifelong learning.
For Shadap, the return to education is an opportunity to finish something that remained incomplete for more than three decades. His journey also reflects the broader purpose of Meghalayaโs second-chance programme, giving people who had to leave school another opportunity to learn, qualify and move forward.
At 59, Shadap is preparing for more than a Class 10 examination. He is finally returning to a path he was forced to leave 37 years ago.
(With inputs from PTI)
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