Editor,
We are writing this letter not to impress but to uphold our rights of being State-sponsored students who have completed our graduation when the notification for recruitment to Meghalaya Agricultural Service (Grade-III) i.e. A.D.O/H.D.O, Scientific Officers, etc posts was published on 20th April, 2012. Being Quota students we have signed the bond before claiming a reserved seats in different institutions. The bond of agreement also clearly states that when our services are required we should serve a minimum of five years. However, in the recent M.P.S.C interview conducted for the above mentioned posts from 18-21 Feb 2014, out of 49 vacancies, most of the successful candidates were non-sponsored private students. Earlier the State-sponsored candidates were recruited giving them preference on seniority basis. Further to quote a publication of The Shillong Times, dated July 29, 2013, the Chief minister himself had stated that recruitment to the post of medical and health officers will be given to quota students as first priority. As such, we the agriculture quota students would like to know why we are being treated differently.
Coming to the recent interview process, the mode of recruitment was fixed for a written examination but hurriedly cancelled a week before the due date. Also, in the same year of the advertisement some candidates were rejected by the MPSC as they were found to be non eligible due to non-completion of their graduation. But they were later accepted without any advertisement and even got selected for the posts. Such acts dim the autonomous functioning of the M.P.S.C. It was only during the last M.P.S.C recruitment in the year 2008 that private students sneaked in to fill the reserved seats meant solely for the Quota students, thus paving the way for further violation of the reserved Quota policy in this year. The reservation of seats for Meghalaya students in colleges/ Universities for B.Sc (Agriculture/Horticulture) subjects is insignificant as the rich and powerful people have the capacity to fund the expensive semester fees for their wards in private institution to ready them for possible vacancies in the State Agriculture Department.
There is no grudge against our own selected brethren but where is the benefit of being a Quota Student when the H.S.S.L.C (Science) percentage was the yardstick for selection to the Agriculture/Horticulture course. The outcome of the M.P.S.C MAS-III results will further discourage and demoralize the undergoing batch of Quota students studying in different agriculture universities and therefore, it is futile to upkeep the reservation system for the students in Meghalaya. There was hope in our hearts seeing the employability of seniors in the Department who were also quota students in their respective periods. But things have turned out to be different as people who had money and power to manipulate the results have got in.
On another note, the MATGESA (Meghalaya Agricultural Technical Government Employees Association) comprising of the Officers of the Agriculture and Horticulture Department should take into account such genuine problems creeping into the recruitment process as they were too in the same position once in their student life. We would also like to appeal to the student unions and other NGOs to look into the matter. Otherwise we are sorry to consider them as defunct bodies. Lastly, we would request the CM of Meghalaya Dr. Mukul M Sangma, who is also the Agriculture Minister to do justice to our demands as He was also a Quota student in the Medical field. We hope that the pain and agony that we and our families are going through can be perceived by the CM.
Yours etc,
Aggrieved Agriculture Quota Students.
Meghalaya
Should quota override merit in Meghalaya?
Editor,
Apropos the news pertaining to job scams in agriculture and horticulture departments published in your esteemed daily (ST March 4, 2014) I have a few questions regarding the news item, Why is it called a job scam when all the candidates who were selected were eligible for the post as all of them are agriculture graduates. I also want to ask why those graduates from the State quota should be given special privilege? Did the Government sign a contract with them that they would be appointed whether or not they qualify? Why should they only be selected for the posts in the State? It is known to all that all quota and non-quota students undergo the same syllabus during their course of study and undergo the same exams equally. Aren’t they satisfied that the government has paid for their tuition fees for the eight semesters they had undergone and now they expect that even appointments should be given to them only? Where does it leave the non-quota students? They also are residents of Meghalaya and they would equally want to serve their State. The government should resolve this issue otherwise this situation is going to hamper a lot of students who are currently undergoing agricultural courses by paying for it from their pockets.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request