Group rues prolonged delay in absorbing successful MTET candidates, moves CM

TURA, July 3: The A’chik Holistic Awakening Movement (AHAM) has expressed concern over the prolonged delay in recruiting candidates who have qualified the Meghalaya Teacher Eligibility Test (MTET), particularly those from the 2024 cycle and earlier years. In a memorandum to the Chief Minister, AHAM appreciated the government’s smooth conduct of MTET exams and welcomed the recent announcement by the Education Minister on an upcoming recruitment drive for LP School teachers.
However, AHAM expressed dismay that despite repeated assurances, there has been no formal or coordinated recruitment process to absorb the successful candidates of MTET 2024. This delay has caused immense anxiety and hardship among the qualified aspirants, especially those hailing from rural and economically backward regions like the Garo Hills.
According to the notification on January 31, 2024, a total of 1,259 candidates qualified out of 15,524 who appeared for the MTET 2024 exam held on December 1, 2023. Yet, to date, there has been no advertisement or notification for recruiting these candidates.
AHAM lamented that a new MTET 2025 has been issued on January 29, 2025, despite the unresolved recruitment from 2020 to 2023 batches. This decision has triggered legitimate concerns among the qualified candidates regarding fairness, administrative consistency, and future eligibility. AHAM fears that prolonged delay could result in several deserving candidates becoming overaged and disqualified for future appointments, despite having invested years in academic and professional preparation. This undermines the credibility of the MTET qualification itself and erodes public faith in the recruitment process.
Given the government’s admission of over 600 vacant posts for LP school teachers, AHAM believes that recruitment should be expedited and prioritised for already qualified candidates before fresh cycles commence.
Therefore, AHAM has called for the Chief Minister’s urgent intervention to initiate batch-wise recruitment of MTET 2024-passed candidates across all districts, with a particular focus on underserved regions like Garo Hills. AHAM also demands the complete recruitment and appointment of all qualified candidates from MTET 2020 to 2023 batches who are still awaiting absorption.
Furthermore, AHAM seeks a clear policy directive that while MTET 2025 certificates may be issued for administrative continuity, no appointments would be made from this batch until all earlier qualified candidates are fully absorbed. AHAM also calls for the release of district-wise lists of sanctioned LP teaching posts and current vacancies to ensure transparency and accountability in the recruitment process. Additionally, AHAM suggests establishing a fixed annual recruitment calendar and a long-term policy for time-bound recruitment following each MTET cycle to prevent backlog, confusion, and procedural injustice in the future.