By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 25: The Meghalaya government has appealed to the Centre to amend the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) regulations.
The appeal was made amid widespread opposition to the Supreme Court ruling that makes the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) compulsory for all in-service teachers, irrespective of their years of service.
“We have already directed the Advocate General to file a review petition (against the SC ruling). We are trying to convince the central government to amend the NCTE regulations so that they do not have retrospective effect and are applied prospectively after the coming of the RTE,” Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui told reporters on Tuesday.
To a query, he said he had no information on reports about teachers from Meghalaya joining protests in Delhi. He said participation in such demonstrations is decided by teachers’ organisations.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to safeguarding teachers’ service conditions, he said, “The state government is trying as much as possible to see that any order, issued by any authority that affects the services of the teachers, is not applied retrospectively but prospectively.”
He noted that despite the government’s efforts, the Supreme Court ruling remains in force.
“As of now, the judgment of the Supreme Court, which mandated that TET is the essential criteria, stands,” Rymbui said, confirming that the government will comply with the order.
Hundreds of primary schoolteachers from Meghalaya joined a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday to oppose the Supreme Court’s TET ruling.
The demonstration, organised by All India Primary Teachers’ Federation (AIPTF), saw the participation of over 50,000 teachers from across the country. The event highlighted widespread concern among primary teachers, many of whom have been in service for decades without being required to clear the TET.
Teachers from Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills, representing All Meghalaya Primary School Teachers Association (AMPSTA), participated under the leadership of its president Dipak Marak and general secretary, F C Shullai.
Speaking there, the Meghalaya delegation expressed concern over the implications of the September 1 Supreme Court order, saying that the two-year deadline was “unreasonable and impractical” for thousands of serving teachers who have long been dedicated to the profession.
AMPSTA reiterated their full support to the AIPTF’s decision to challenge the order through legal avenues, stating that the directive undermines the service tenure and job security of primary teachers across the country.
