Shillong, April 30: In a significant step towards strengthening adolescent learning, wellbeing and future-readiness in Meghalaya, the Government of Meghalaya, through the Meghalaya Programme for Adolescent Wellbeing, Empowerment and Resilience (MPOWER) implemented by Meghalaya Basin Management Agency has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the CK-12 Foundation to enhance digital and interactive learning support for school students across the State.
The MoU is aimed at addressing one of the important challenges faced by adolescents today: the need for stronger conceptual understanding, confidence and interest in key subjects such as Science and Mathematics.
This partnership will support students and teachers with access to high-quality, curriculum-aligned digital resources, personalised learning tools and interactive teaching-learning materials.
Through this collaboration, CK-12’s open educational platform will be introduced to support classroom learning, self-paced learning and teacher-led instruction. The platform will help make difficult concepts easier to understand through digital content, interactive exercises and technology-enabled learning support.
The initiative is expected to especially benefit students in government and government-aided schools by making learning more engaging, practical and accessible.
The partnership also reflects the larger vision of MPOWER, which was initiated by the Government of Meghalaya to support adolescents not only through academic learning, but also through life skills, wellbeing, empowerment and resilience-building.
Over the last year, MPOWER has been working with schools, teachers, departments and partner organisations to create a stronger support system for adolescents in Meghalaya.
Much of this work has involved institution-building, curriculum support, teacher capacity-building, school-level engagement and partnership development, which are critical foundations for long-term impact.
The MoU with CK-12 Foundation builds on this ongoing work and marks an important step in strengthening the learning component of MPOWER. It brings together the State’s education priorities with a global digital learning platform that can support both teachers and students at scale.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Vijay Mantri, IAS, Co-Project Director, MPOWER, and Commissioner & Secretary, Department of Education, Government of Meghalaya, said:
“With the Government of Meghalaya’s new policy to make Science and Mathematics compulsory, along with curriculum reforms designed to better support students, we aim to make these subjects more accessible, practical and engaging for learners.”
He further highlighted that such partnerships are important in ensuring that students are not only enrolled in schools, but are also meaningfully supported to learn, participate and build confidence in subjects that are critical for their future opportunities.
Shri Banteilang Kharshandi, MCS, Director, Directorate of School Education and Literacy, Deputy State Project Director of SSA, and Joint Secretary, Education Department, Government of Meghalaya, emphasised the importance of teacher capacity-building and experiential learning.
“The Government of Meghalaya recognises the importance of hands-on learning and practical training. Building teachers’ confidence is essential, as it empowers them to adopt creative teaching approaches and effectively bring these methods into classrooms for the benefit of students.”
Under the MoU, MPOWER will facilitate coordination, implementation support and capacity-building activities, including teacher training for the effective use of digital tools in classroom practice. The CK-12 Foundation will provide access to its digital learning platform, along with technical assistance and content support.
Speaking on behalf of CK-12 Foundation, Miral Shah, Co-founder and Chief Technology & Product Officer, highlighted the transformative potential of digital education and artificial intelligence in supporting personalised learning.
“Today, we stand in an era of unprecedented opportunities, uncertainties and disruption. The world our children will enter after graduation will be very different from the one we experienced, and we must prepare them for that future. Fortunately, digital education, accelerated by AI, offers immense opportunities to truly personalise teaching and learning for students and teachers at scale. We are excited to collaborate with Meghalaya in its pursuit of engaging students in learning and supporting teachers through Meghalaya’s thoughtful curriculum and CK-12’s state-of-the-art AI-powered education platform.”
The MoU signing was attended by key officials and stakeholders including Shri Vijay Mantri, IAS, Co-Project Director, MPOWER, and Commissioner & Secretary, Department of Education; Shri Banteilang Kharshandi, MCS, Director, Directorate of School Education and Literacy, Deputy State Project Director of SSA, and Joint Secretary, Education Department; Shri Wankit Swer, Deputy Project Director, MPOWER; and members of the CK-12 Foundation team led by Miral Shah and Neha Khandelwal, Content Head, India.
Principals and representatives from Mawkdok Secondary School, Pynthorumkhrah Presbyterian Higher Secondary School, Seng Khasi Higher Secondary School and Sibsing Memorial Higher Secondary School also participated in the event, along with representatives from Nice Infotech and members of the MPOWER team.
This collaboration reinforces the Government of Meghalaya’s continued commitment to improving the quality of education and supporting adolescents through strategic partnerships, technology-enabled learning and stronger classroom support.
Through MPOWER, the State is working to create an enabling ecosystem where adolescents are equipped not only with academic knowledge, but also with the confidence, skills and resilience needed to thrive in a changing world.
