Opp corners minister on MTET paper leak

SHILLONG: Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui was cornered by the Opposition members on the leakage of Meghalaya Teachers’ Eligibility Test (MTET) papers during the question hour in the budget session of the Assembly on Tuesday.
Congress MLAs Azad Zaman, Himalaya Shangpliang, Lazarus Sangma and NPP MLA Esmatur Mominin raised questions on the leakage.
Curiously, NCP legislator Saleng Sangma, who is also supporting the MDA, wanted the cancellation of the examination. At last, the Education minister said, Rymbui said, “Anything can happen, let us wait for the report.” Earlier, the Minister informed the House that the investigation into the leakage of Meghalaya Teachers’ Eligibility Test is still going on.
In the written reply, Rymbui said the question papers were brought from Press under security cover and kept for safe custody at the strong room of Directorate of Education Research & Training with tight security till dispatch to different centers.
Replying to supplementary query by Congress MLA Zaman, Rymbui said the Fact Finding Committee has been constituted headed by Commissioner and Secretary which has been given 12 days’ time to complete the probe. The Minister said the report has not been received yet and the government will take necessary action after the report is submitted.
Rymbui said the government has filed an FIR on January 31 and along with the police probe, an inquiry committee was instituted to find the source of leakage and fix responsibility and how to go about MTET and also ways and means to improve the examination.
On the other hand, Zaman said the exam was supposed to start at 9 am but it was started at 9:45 am and expressed concern about the absence of CCTV surveillance.  Rymbui said the inquiry will take care of such matters and especially on improving the system.
He said the report will be studied to ensure such incidents do not happen again.
Zaman raised the issue of harassment of students over the paper leak.
In reply, Rymbui said the law will take its course and the education depart-ment cannot tamper with evidence.To the demand of the NCP leader Sangma to dissolve the whole examination process, Rymbui said he cannot give any assurance as all centres were not affected and that the leak was only from one centre.
Saleng, however, reiterated his demand for cancellation of the examination by saying that the Minister cannot take the sand that the question paper was leaked only from one centre. He added that since there are doubts about the leak all over the state, the examination should be cancelled. However, Rymbui said “I stand by my statement. We have to wait for the inquiry report.”
To a query by Shangpliang, the Minister replied that the faculties from Directorate of Education Research & Training, District Institute of Education & Training, College lecturers & school teachers were the question paper setters.
The question papers were printed at Neicom Impression, East By Lane 18, RGB Road, Guwahati–781005, Assam. To a query as to whether the government has any plan to re-conduct the examination, Rymbui said the department is waiting for the inquiry officers’ report before taking any decision.