Shillong, Mar 26: School teachers in Meghalaya urged the state government to intervene into the decision of the National Institute of Open School (NIOS) to conduct the D.El.Ed examination on a Sunday.

Under the banner of the Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Schools’ Association (MSSASA), the teachers requested the chief minister, Conrad K. Sangma to immediately take up the matter with the authority concerned for arrangement of a new date for the examination.

The NIOS has decided to conduct the first Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) examination for untrained in-service elementary teachers registered across the country for three subjects on April 27, 28 and 29.

However, April 29 falls on a Sunday.

“We humbly request your kind intervention in the matter and take up the issue with the competent authority of NIOS for arrangement of new date instead of April 29,” MSSASA President Aristotle C Rymbai said in a memorandum submitted to the CM on Monday.

In Meghalaya, a total of 26,980 in-service untrained teachers teaching at elementary level have enrolled for the D.El.Ed programme for 2017-19 session which includes government, adhoc, deficit, SSA and those working in private schools.

According to Rymbai, the decision to conduct the examination on a Sunday will affect the sentiments of the Christian community in the state as well as the nation as whole. “For Christians, Sunday or the Lord’s Day is a special day,” he said.