The Directorate of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has extended the deadline for submission of no-objection certificates (NOCs) by community-managed Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) schools to May 15, following queries and concerns raised by several school authorities.
DSEL Director Banteilang J Kharshandi informed that while a deadline was initially fixed, the decision to extend it was taken after feedback from schools. “Many of the community-managed SSA schools still have queries and doubts regarding the process, so we’ve decided to extend the deadline up to May 15,” he said.
The ongoing NOC submission process is currently focused on community-managed SSA schools. Kharshandi clarified that other SSA schools managed by religious groups or private individuals are not required to follow the same standard format. “Instead, they are required to submit a letter of consent in writing, as per the instructions of the Commissioner and Secretary,” he added.
The Education Department had recently directed SSA schools managed by community, private organisation, individuals, mission or society to be handed over or merged with government schools.
Another key issue discussed during the meeting was the rationalisation of teachers and schools, especially concerns raised about uneven distribution of teachers. “There are schools with very few students but more teachers, and vice versa. Rationalisation is a complex process, but we have instructed all SDSEOs and DSEOs to assess and act,” said Kharshandi.
He explained that, for example, if a government school with just 15 to 20 students has two teachers, one may be transferred to a school with higher enrollment. “We’re also looking at rationalisation within SSA schools – moving teachers from one SSA school to another. In certain cases, we may temporarily attach SSA teachers to government schools until regular recruitment is done,” he said.
This entire exercise is part of the larger effort to streamline school management and staffing structures, in line with instructions from the Government of India. “We have several categories of schools in Meghalaya – government, SSA, non-government, deficit, ad hoc and more. The aim is to streamline the system. This NOC process is just a consultation stage; no final decision has been taken yet,” Kharshandi stated.
As of now, over 2,000 schools have submitted their NOCs. With the extended deadline, the department expects more submissions in the coming weeks.
