Shillong, Jan 7: World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a new project in Meghalaya to better equip 500,000 adolescents to make the transition from school to work – by reducing dropouts, improving learning outcomes and offering guidance for accessing jobs and starting businesses.
At least 49% of the beneficiaries are expected to be girls.
The total cost of the project is $45 million of which $35million will be given by the Bank and rest by the Centre.
Meghalaya’s adolescents, who constitute over 24 percent of the state population, are facing barriers to their education, and to their physical and mental health. School dropout at the upper primary level is 11 percent, three times the national average, and 22 percent at the secondary level, close to double the national average. In addition, substance abuse, early marriage and teenage pregnancy have exacerbated these challenges.
The $35 million Meghalaya Multisectoral Project for Adolescent Wellbeing, Empowerment and Resilience (MPOWER) will help in strengthening learning outcomes for adolescents in grades 6-12, by closing gaps in students’ reading and math skills. To reduce dropout rates, the project will equip students with life skills, mental health awareness and provide guidance on career choices. Special focus will be on reaching student dropouts and providing them with the same support.
The project is expected to run until February 2031, with built-in evaluations to ensure adaptive learning and scalability.
The project, in partnership with Meghalaya State Skills Development Society, will also impart business skills to budding entrepreneurs and out-of-school adolescents.
Project Components
The $35 million World Bank project, government, comprises four major components:
Education and Career Preparation: This component includes foundational learning programs, life-skills education, and career readiness initiatives in schools. Through adolescent clubs and teacher-led career counseling, the project aims to equip students with critical thinking and practical skills for their futures.
Community Interventions: For out-of-school adolescents, community clubs and youth centers will serve as hubs for life skills, vocational training, and economic pathways. Parents and community members will also receive training to create a supportive environment for adolescent growth.
State Capability and Innovations: A State Center for Adolescents and Youth will lead efforts in institutional strengthening, while a multisectoral Competency and Wellbeing Framework will guide the state’s adolescent-focused programs.
Contingent Emergency Response: A flexible component will enable a rapid response to crises or emergencies affecting adolescents.
The initiative aligns with India’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) for climate resilience and gender equity, as well as the Meghalaya government’s strategic focus on youth development. By enhancing educational, health, and employment outcomes, MPOWER seeks to create a lasting impact on the state’s future workforce and socio-economic development.
The Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA) will oversee implementation, supported by a robust monitoring framework.
Key Features and Innovations
Community Engagement Through Youth Centers:
The project will establish a network of community clubs and block-level youth centers, creating safe spaces where adolescents can access life-skills education, career counseling, and health services. These centers will operate under a “hub-and-spoke” model, connecting smaller community clubs to centralized youth hubs.
Focus on Out-of-School Adolescents:
For adolescents who are not enrolled in formal education, the project provides bridge education programs and pathways for skill development, offering them a second chance at completing their schooling or acquiring market-relevant vocational skills.
Gender-Specific Interventions:
MPOWER places a strong emphasis on addressing challenges faced by adolescent girls, such as early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and barriers to education. The program incorporates modules on gender equality, prevention of gender-based violence (GBV), and engagement with boys and men to shift social norms.
Addressing Mental Health:
With increasing rates of depression and substance abuse among Meghalaya’s youth, the project introduces mental health counseling and education on emotional resilience as integral parts of life-skills training.
Climate Awareness:
A “climate change and disaster risk reduction” module will educate adolescents and their families on coping with environmental challenges, a critical need in Meghalaya’s disaster-prone terrain.
Projected Benefits
The project expects to benefit 500,000 adolescents, with nearly 400,000 from schools and 100,000 out-of-school adolescents.
By addressing systemic barriers, the project aims to reduce secondary school dropout rates by providing targeted interventions, such as career counseling and financial support for community clubs.
Through mentoring programs, innovative web platforms and community clubs, the project will also work closely with parents and students to create diverse forums for learning. Youth will receive information on sexual reproductive health to help reduce teen pregnancies and ensure school completion.
“The holistic wellbeing approach, adopted under this project, reflects learning from states such as Jharkhand where similar initiatives are enhancing adolescent learning outcomes,” said Auguste Tano Kouamé, the World Bank’s Country Director for India.
International experience has shown that the likelihood of securing quality jobs increases significantly with the completion of education.
“The project design has also benefited from World Bank operations in Tanzania and Bangladesh – where youth engagement through information on job opportunities, counseling and safe community spaces helped reduce school dropout rates,” said Pravesh Kumar and Kanupriya Misra, the Task Team Leaders for the project.
Also Read: KHADC MDCs fail to submit scheme implementation report, 2 MDCs submit UCs
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