Appointment of 246 teachers terminated in Meghalaya
4 Mar, 2014On the recommendation of the High Level Scrutiny Committee (HLSC) constituted by the government, the Education department has served termination letters to 246 lower primary school teachers.
The termination was the result of hard work of 25 teachers who fought for their right. They had claimed that the appointments done in 2010 were wrong and filed an application under the RTI Act to prove their contention. It was alleged that the recruitment process was shady and despite clearing the recruitment test and interviews, they were not appointed. The reply to the RTI application confirmed their fears and these candidates approached the Court for redressal. The matter was referred to the CBI for investigation which found that names of candidates who passed their examination and interviews were erased using correction fluid. The CBI report was leaked to the media which caused a stir and the Government sought the Court’s permission to constitute the HSLC.
The School Education and Literacy director Ambrose Ch Marak has said that these 25 candidates would be appointed in the place of the terminated teachers. Allegations were made that the officials from the Education department made the changes at the behest of the then Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh who is now holding the Urban Affairs portfolio.