By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 18: The Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU), central body, has petitioned Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, alleging massive governance lapses in the District Selection Committee (DSC), West Jaintia Hills, and calling for an immediate statewide overhaul of recruitment guidelines.
In its memorandum dated March 18, the union flagged what it described as a serious breakdown in administrative integrity, backed by findings from its internal inquiry and a recent meeting with the deputy commissioner.
At the centre of the allegations is a critical six-month gap in the legal status of the DSC.
The JSU stated that the tenure of the previous committee expired on April 28, 2025, while the reconstitution notification was issued only on November 11, 2025. During this period, the DSC allegedly continued to carry out advertisements, examinations and recruitment processes without a valid mandate, raising concerns over the legality of the entire exercise.
The JSU also pointed to structural flaws in the existing 2014 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), noting that the same non-official Vice-Chairman and members were reappointed in November 2025 without any cap on tenure. It argued that the absence of term limits has enabled monopolisation of positions, stifled fresh participation and triggered allegations of political patronage at the cost of merit-based recruitment.
Administrative inefficiency was highlighted through the posting of the Member-Secretary outside the district.
While the DSC cell operates from the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Jowai, the Member-Secretary is currently serving as Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil) in Amlarem, a situation the JSU said hampers day-to-day supervision and secure handling of examination materials.
With regard to transparency, the JSU alleged that despite an assurance from the deputy commissioner that pending results for multiple posts—including LDA-cum-Typist, Grade IV, Gram Sevak, Gram Sevika, Copyst, Male Supervisor and Weaving Demonstrator—would be declared within a week, the administration refused to publish official answer keys.
The JSU maintained that withholding answer keys under outdated SOP provisions undermines fairness and denies candidates the opportunity to verify evaluation.
Seeking systemic reform, the JSU has demanded immediate amendment of the 2014 DSC SOPs across Meghalaya to align with modern standards of transparent recruitment.
It has called for a mandatory six-month timeline for completion of recruitment processes, from advertisement to final results and legal provisions requiring publication of answer keys within 48 hours of examinations through a public portal.
The union has further sought the introduction of a strict, non-renewable two-year term limit for non-official members, the appointment of a full-time Member-Secretary stationed at Jowai and adherence to the one-week deadline for release of pending results.
Issuing a clear warning, the JSU has given the government a three-month ultimatum to initiate statewide reforms, stating that failure to implement transparency measures would compel the union to resort to democratic action to protect the interests of unemployed youths.
