Contractual teachers of Meghalaya hold rally to protest against govt's 'termination move'

By Larry Patwet

JOWAI:

The Contractual Teachers’ Association All Jaintia Hills Unit on Tuesday organised a peaceful rally from Lad kiang Nangbah to Jriselieñ Chutwakhu at Jowai in West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya to protest against the "decision" of the state government to end their contracts.

Contractual teachers across Meghalaya were thrown out of their jobs after the state government had, last year, decided not to renew their teaching contracts.

The criteria for these teachers to retain their jobs was that they pass the Meghalaya Teacher Eligibility Test (MTET) examination that was conducted in 2019 across the state. Unfortunately, most of them did not get through.

Expressing concerns and disappointment, the aggrieved contractual teachers hit back at the state government over its alleged biasedness and, referred to an incident that took place in 2017 when teachers, who failed in the D.El.Ed and achieved 45 per cent marks in Class XII, were allowed to go through an enhancement test.

"We should equally get an opportunity to rewrite the MTET exam," said one of the teachers.

The secretary of the association, Arbihlang Suchiang informed that the post of all the contractual teachers will be filled by only 10 per cent of the qualified candidates.

"Out of the 1200 contractual teachers who had appeared for the MTET exam, only 10 per cent had qualified, leaving the rest of the contractual teachers hungry and jobless," she added.

(Edited by Ibankyntiew Mawrie)

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