Both fresh and unsuccessful candidates alike will be able to appear in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) and Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) examinations without any selection test.

The Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBoSE) will conduct the final examinations in March and April in 2021.

A notification, issued by the Education Department, said no selection test will be held for appearing in both SSLC and HSSLC examinations and the dates for the main examinations would be announced on a later date by the MBoSE.

It said all schools including non-affiliated schools should not conduct any selection test at their level.

Similarly, no selection test should be conducted by District Education Officials for SSLC and HSSLC examinations, 2021.

As a one-time exemption, all candidates who are willing to appear in SSLC and HSSLC examinations in 2021 but failed in the selection test conducted in the year 2019, will also be allowed to appear in both examinations.

The private candidates can also appear directly in the final examination after following due procedure.

“The cancellation of selection tests as well as one-time exemption for candidates is merely being done to ensure the safety and health of all the stakeholders in view of the Covid19 situation.

“Those failing in the examination to be held next year (2022) may have to go through a selection test and the current notification should not be treated as precedence,” the Education Department said in a notification.

Combining the candidates, who will write the SSLC and HSSLC examinations in 2021, the number may touch 1 lakh, considering the fact that all candidates can appear including private candidates.