SHILLLONG: The World Bank has approved a $35 million project titled the ‘Meghalaya Multisectoral Project for Adolescent Wellbeing, Empowerment and Resilience (MPOWER)’ aimed at supporting 500,000 adolescents in the state. This initiative seeks to help these adolescents transition from school to work by addressing challenges such as school dropouts, poor learning outcomes, and limited access to job opportunities.
The total project cost is $45 million, with the World Bank contributing $35 million and the Indian government providing $10 million. Adolescents make up over 24% of Meghalaya’s population, but many face significant barriers to education and well-being. The state has higher school dropout rates than the national average, with 11% dropout at the upper primary level and 22% at the secondary level, nearly double the national figure. These issues are exacerbated by substance abuse, early marriage, and teenage pregnancies.
The MPOWER project will focus on improving learning outcomes for adolescents in grades 6-12, particularly in reading and math. The project aims to reduce dropout rates by equipping students with life skills, promoting mental health awareness, and offering career guidance.
In addition, the project will prioritize reaching out to students who have already dropped out of school, ensuring they receive similar support to those still enrolled. It will collaborate with the Meghalaya State Skills Development Society to offer business skills training to out-of-school adolescents and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Auguste Tano Kouamé, the World Bank’s Country Director for India, highlighted that the holistic approach of this project draws lessons from similar initiatives in states like Jharkhand, where adolescent learning outcomes have improved. "The holistic well-being approach, adopted under this project, reflects learning from states such as Jharkhand where similar initiatives are enhancing adolescent learning outcomes," he said.
The project, expected to run until February 2031, will include built-in evaluations for adaptive learning and scalability. It will create diverse learning opportunities for youth through mentoring programs, innovative web platforms, and community clubs, with close involvement from parents and students.
Furthermore, the project will offer comprehensive information on sexual and reproductive health to help reduce teenage pregnancies and encourage school completion. It is expected to benefit 500,000 adolescents, including 400,000 in schools and 100,000 out-of-school adolescents.
Pravesh Kumar and Kanupriya Misra, the Task Team Leaders for the project, noted that the design of the project has been informed by successful initiatives in Tanzania and Bangladesh, where youth engagement in job opportunities and safe community spaces helped reduce school dropout rates. "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," they said.
Currently, the World Bank has over 60 projects focused on job access and creation for women and youth, with a total commitment amount of $9.3 billion.
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