SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Elementary Pre-Service Trained Teachers Association, Tura Unit (MEPSTTA) has unearthed anomalies in the appointment of teachers on contractual basis in Garo Hills.
The MEPSTTA said that after RTIs were filed in three Sub-Divisional School Education Officers (SDSEOs) in Garo Hills, it was learnt that 156 teachers have been appointed during 2014-16 on contractual basis, out of which 56 were untrained candidates.10 candidates in Tura, 11 in Ampati and 35 in Dadenggre SDSEOs are among the untrained teachers, the Association said.
“Such appointments are unacceptable as per the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) norms,” MEPSTAA said, adding that the Director of School Education and Literacy Department had already directed all the SDSEOs to follow the NCTE norms with effect from August 23, 2010.
To ensure quality education in the state, the government has discontinued the in-service teacher training course and launched the pre-service teacher training course in Diploma in Elementary Education (D. El. Ed) for two years from 2013.
“It has been almost three years since the completion of training, but the government has not taken any steps to conduct fresh recruitment to fill up the vacant posts in various Government L.P. schools,” MEPSTTA alleged.
According to the teachers’ body, the government should give direct permanent appointment to all trained teachers batch wise or merit wise, besides appointing those who have completed two years’ pre-service teacher training course in various District Institutes of Education and Training (D.I.E.T).
“We, the elementary-pre-service trained teachers association, are also dissatisfied with the procedure of appointment as contractual teachers for government L.P schools were appointed by the Education department,” the Association said.
“Teachers are appointed on contractual basis to avoid disruption of classes caused by vacancy. But if there is more than one applicant for the vacant post then what is the reason for not conducting an interview and giving the proposal letters in favour of all the candidates instead of the selected qualified candidate,” the teachers’ body asked.
The Association pointed out that the same thing is continuing in Director of School Education and Literacy department wherein the interviews are not conducted and the appointments are given as per its own will instead of selecting and appointing the qualified candidates.
The MEPSTTA urged the SDSEOs of Garo Hills to interview the candidates and issue only one proposal letter of appointment to the selected candidate as per merit.
