Shillong, October 7: Teachers under the banner of the All Meghalaya Primary School Teachers Association (AMPSTA) held a rally in Shillong on Wednesday, pressing the MDA Government to address their eight-point charter of demands, fill vacant teaching posts and clarify its school rationalisation policy.
The procession began at Golf Links, passed through Fourth Furlong and Polo, and returned to the Golf Links Community Hall, where the association held a meeting.
Addressing the gathering, AMPSTA General Secretary Babu F.C. Shullai said the Education Department’s clarification had failed to adequately address the association’s concerns, particularly regarding vacancies in deficit Lower Primary schools, rationalisation and teachers’ service security.
Shullai said teachers had made preparations and incurred expenses to participate in the rally as several issues remained unresolved and required detailed discussions with the government.
He urged the government to fill vacant teaching posts and issue necessary instructions to education officers so that recruitment approvals and appointments could move forward. He said assurances must be followed by concrete action benefiting schools and teachers.
On rationalisation, Shullai questioned the approach of using student strength as the primary basis for teacher allocation. Referring to a criterion of 15 pupils per class, he said a primary school with Classes I to V would require an enrolment of 75 students under such a calculation.
He argued that teacher allocation must take into account the number of classes as well as student enrolment. He questioned how a single teacher could be expected to handle all five classes if staffing decisions were based only on the total number of pupils.
While AMPSTA was willing to discuss the redeployment of teachers from schools with low enrolment, Shullai said any such exercise must ensure adequate teaching arrangements for every class.
He also reiterated the association’s demand to exclude deficit schools from the category of “notified schools”. He said AMPSTA had already submitted its concerns in writing to the Commissioner and was awaiting detailed discussions with the Education Department on the implications of the relevant provisions.
On teachers’ service security, Shullai expressed dissatisfaction that the longstanding demand remained under consideration without a clear decision or implementation timeline. Recalling AMPSTA’s efforts to protect the rights of primary school teachers since the 1980s, he said the association could consider further agitation if the government failed to provide a satisfactory response.
AMPSTA member Vicunia Nongpluh also questioned the Education Department’s statement issued by its Commissioner and Secretary on October 6, particularly its position on filling sanctioned vacancies in Lower Primary and Upper Primary schools.
According to Nongpluh, the department had indicated that recruitment would be taken up after completion of the rationalisation exercise. However, she said the statement did not provide a clear timeline for filling the vacancies, despite the exercise having been underway for a considerable period.
She warned that further delays could seriously affect schools operating with only one teacher, particularly in rural areas. If the sole teacher retired without a replacement, the education of children in such schools could be adversely affected, she said.
Nongpluh also expressed concern that vacant posts could be abolished during rationalisation instead of being filled.
AMPSTA urged the government to provide clear answers and a definite course of action, maintaining that adequate staffing and secure service conditions were essential to ensuring uninterrupted education for children.
