SHILLONG: Former Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh went on denying the charges of irregularities levelled against her by the then Director of the department J.D Sangma during her submission made before the High Level Scrutiny Committee that examined the process of recruitment of teachers.
The Committee was formed after the CBI had unearthed irregularities in the appointment of teachers.
In his statement before the Committee, the then Director of Elementary and Mass Education said “the reviewing of the list of qualified candidates was done at the Minister’s residence”.
However, the Committee felt its inability saying that it has no means to ascertain the matter and hence blamed the Director stating that the act of omission on the part of public servant, if true, is unethical and unbecoming of his stature.
In another statement to the Committee, Sangma said “the serial numbers were jumbled up and interchanged to give preference in order of merit to the candidates recommended by different ministers, MLAs and this was done on the advice of the then Minister of Education herself”.
The Minister, however, in her statement said she was not aware that anybody interfered with the selection process which, however, contradicted Sangma’s statement. She added that she had only signed the file of the selected candidates.
In this context, the Committee said it has no means to ascertain the claims and counter claims.
The CBI in its 107-page report said, “It was felt necessary to examine J.D Sangma, the then Director DEME. In course of his examination,Sangma had stated that under the instruction of then minister of education namely Ampareen Lyngdoh, he had to change the score sheets as prepared by all the above noted five boards duly applying white fluid on the original marks, as awarded by the members of the Board. Sangma also handed over a file containing the list received by the said minister from different persons, MLAs and ministers recommending the names of the candidates for selection as teacher in LP schools of Meghalaya.”
The Committee in its report also referred to the statement of the Minister that she came to know about the irregularities only from media reports and that she had not intervened in the selection process.
However, after the statement made by Ampareen, the Committee observed that there are innumerable instances of irregularities “in act of arbitrariness, nepotism and favoritism on the part of the person (s) who hold public office in whatever position and if it is allowed to continue unabated and unchecked, this would result in a bleak future”.
The Committee also recommended that the State Government should henceforth “nip in the bud such arbitrariness and nepotism by taking a strong view on the matter”.
The Committee, which extensively depended on the CBI report, also found fault with the public representatives who had made recommendations to the Minister and the Director of the department for appointment of their preferred candidates.
The panel viewed it as nepotism and malpractice since the advertisement stated that “the candidates canvassing directly or indirectly in any form shall liable to be disqualified”.
The public representatives who recommended candidates include legislator AL Hek (seven candidates), Deputy Chief Minister RC Laloo (37), then Deputy Speaker Sanbor Shullai (4), former Assembly Speaker Charles Pyngrope (3), Cabinet ministers Sniawbhalang Dhar (30), Prestone Tynsong (20), Clement Marak (26) and Ronnie V. Lyngdoh (15), former MLA RL Tariang (29), MLA Remington Pyngrope (47), former minister JA Lyngdoh (6), MLA Limison Sangma (37), former MLA Donkupar Massar (2), then adviser to Chief Minister F. War (3), JHADC MDC M. Pariat (11), then Deputy Chief Executive member of the KHADC L. Malngiang (4), former MLAs Augustine D Marak (10), Ismail Marak (9) and Sayeedullah Nongrum (12).
