More than 1,200 temporary teachers will be appointed “immediately” to fill the huge number of vacancies in the education sector, Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma said today.
Speaking on the subject in the Assembly, Sangma said that 1,219 vacancies exist among government teacher posts and 420 in SSA posts.
In the SSA teacher category, there are 102 vacancies in lower primary schools, 292 in upper primary and 26 in secondary.
In the state government sphere, there are 1,002 vacancies in the lower primary category, 41 in upper primary, 125 in secondary and 51 in higher secondary.
Sangma was responding to a query raised by Mawhati MLA Charles Marngar during the last day of the budget session today.
“There are a number of temporary teachers in government secondary and higher secondary schools but for lower primary government schools, except Dadengre sub-division, we have not engaged any temporary requirement for the last two years,” the minister said. “As a temporary arrangement due to the complexities, until a proper recruitment process has been completed, the government has decided to send temporary teachers to all 1,200 schools immediately.”
Marngar, an opposition legislator, added that this issue has been pending for three years now and asked when the government will conduct interviews as part of the job application process to fill the gaps in the education sector.
Sangma replied that there are a number of SSA schools that have low enrolment; 903 SSA schools have fewer than 20 students. There are also 45 lower primary schools and 62 in the upper primary level that have enrolments in the single digits. A number also have no students at all.
“With respect to government lower primary school teachers, it (the delay in appointments) is due to the High Court order to implement the roster system,” said Sangma.
Marngar’s fellow Congress member, the Gambegre MLA Saleng Sangma, wondered how badly all these vacancies have affected students who have just sat their board exams.
