The Dissection of the workings of the Education Department of Meghalaya under an Autocratic Regime
Meghalaya is known as one of the most reputed educational hubs in the entire North-east, if not in the entire country. Students from all nook and corner of the hilly regions throng to Shillong in particular for higher education over the decades. The minute hand of the clock is now forced backwards. The once vigorous and passionate Education System of Meghalaya lost first its fluffy feathers, then it’s strength, and last the significance of its existence. To amalgamate the flawed roots, would take a dissertation of half a lifetime. On this note, I would only touch on the core of the system as stated in Meghalaya School Service Rules, 2012 and Meghalaya School Education Service Rules, 2012.
The Education System of Meghalaya once upon a time used to rest gleefully under the shoulders of the abled Bureaucrat(s), while they on the technocrats. For the administration to run smoothly, it has to fall in line with the service rules, and the merit of their criteria to run the administrative framework without hassles. Let us take a look at the etymological and chronological ladder of the employees under the Meghalaya School Service Rules, 2012 and Meghalaya School Education Service Rules, 2012.
The Meghalaya School Service Rules, 2012 divides the service in to two groups that is,
Senior School Service and Junior School Service:
Senior School Service:
Grade I:
Vice-Principal (HSS),
Assistant Headmaster/Headmistress,
Assistant Lecturer (HSS)
Assistant DI of Schools (to be re-designated as Additional SDSEO), and
Assistant DAEO/Assistant DSEO.
Grade II:
Sub-Inspector of Schools,
Assistant Teacher (SS) (Graduate with B. Ed),
District Science Supervisor,
Technical Assistant Science Education, Drill/Drawing Teacher (Graduate), SEO/LSEO (Graduate),
Assistant Teacher (Graduate with B. Ed/without B. Ed) teaching in both UPS and SS of amalgamated schools, and Head Teacher of UPS (Graduate).
Junior School Service:
Grade I:
Head Teacher of UPS/Sr. Basic Schools
(Under graduate/PUC),
Assistant Teachers UPS/Sr. Basic Schools (Graduate), Drill-cum-Drawing Master in UPS/Sr. Basic Schools, and Hindi Teacher, UPS/Sr. Basic Schools (Graduate).
Grade II
Assistant Teacher, UPS/Sr. Basic Schools (Under Graduate /PUC)
| SEO/LSEO (P.U. Passed), |
| Hindi Teacher, UPS/Sr. Basic Schools (PUC), |
| Craft Teacher (PUC), |
| Craft Instructor (Matriculate with Diploma Certificate in |
| Craft from recognised Technical Institution/National |
| Trade Certificate, and |
| Drill/Drawing Teacher (PUC) |
Grade III:
Head Teacher, LPS/Jr. Basic Schools,
Assistant Teacher, (Matriculate/HSLC Passed)
Craft Teacher (Matriculate/HSLC Passed)
Craft Instructor (Non-Matriculate with Diploma Certificate in Craft from recognised Technical Institution), and SEO/LSEO (Matriculate/HSLC passed).
The first crack of the Meghalaya School Service Rules, 2012 appeared with the inclusion of the Higher Secondary Section with the Secondary Section setup.It has been argued that since the proportion of the service staff of secondary Section is overlapping the Higher Secondary, therefore, 75% promotion is for the Grade II Senior School Service including the Asst. Teachers, while 25% is for the Asst. Lecturers. Let us pay a little attention to the first ascending promotional flaw.
The Grade III of the Junior School Service can climb up to Grade I provided they fit into the criteria. Then, Grade I (Head) can upgrade to Grade II of Senior School Service and
Grade II to Grade I (Head) while just being graduates. Owing to the defect in the rulebook, most by-pass the promotional process from Grade II to Grade I of Senior School Service. Logically and moralistically, the ones being promoted from the lower ranks should have first hold the office of the Asst. Head, however they jump-ship to the position of Vice Principal by default. In the brief passage of time, all the Grade I of the Senior School Service will again be promoted to Junior Grade II post of School Education Service (i.e. SDSEO/ Headmaster/Headmistress of the Secondary School/Special officer. This further allows them the privilege to be promoted to Junior Grade I, and the process continues until they reach the position of the Additional Director of School Education Services.
The ladder of promotion at the lowest level in the Junior School Service in the Meghalaya School Service is transparent, precise and well drafted. However, the very next step we move to the Senior School Service, there seemed to be a purposeful disinterestedness on the part of the bureaucrats and the framers of the rulebook.
Qualifications and Service Record –
It baffles me to understand, why there are no Set rules to for Asst. Teacher to upgrade to Vice principal as the required qualification criteria of the Asst. Lecturer is higher. In the same school, an Asst. Lecturer with a higher qualification and a longer service record is serving under a person who had initially joined under the Grade II with a fresher service record because they enjoy the 75% quota whereas the latter enjoy the 25%. What is more baffling is that the Grade II of the Senior School Service continue to enjoy the 75% while holding the office equivalent to the Asst. Lecturers via promotion. This allows them to be eligible for quick successive promotions moving higher the ladder as stated below according to the Meghalaya School Education Service rule, 2012 –
Selection Grade: Director (Cadre post of IAS/MCS)
Senior Grade I: Additional Director
Senior Grade II: Joint Director
Senior Grade III: Deputy Director/District School Education Officer),
Junior Grade I: Additional District School Education Officer/Special Officer (Sc.)/Principal (Higher Secondary Schools
Junior Grade II: Sub-Divisional School Education Officer/Headmaster/Headmistress/Special Officer
Apart from the post of the Selection Grade: Director (Cadre post of IAS/MSC), all the criterial for all the other positions are not specified, apart from it that they can be attained through promotion or Direct appointment by the MPSC. The dilemma of this has also given birth to many immoral practices by opportunistic people in power to turn the law in their favour. On the 15th April 2021, the Education Dept of the Government of Meghalaya, releasedpromotions of the different posts as recommended by Departmental Promotion Committee –
As I was going through the list, I found out that two persons (whose names I would not like to mention) who had been recently promoted in the month of June, 2020 to the position of the Vice Principal has again been promoted to Sub-Divisional School Education Officer (SDSEO) in April, 2021, while those Asst. Lecturers who are due for the position of the SDSEO/Headmaster/Special Officer, continue to fall back in line.
Rule 19 Confirmation (a) of the Meghalaya School Education Service rule, 2012 clearly statesthat “he/she has served not less than one year in the post in which he/she is to be confirmed”.
Further, in Rule 17 Seniority (b) of the Meghalaya School Service Rules, 2012, says “Provided in any cadre a member appointed by promotion shall be senior to a member appointed by direct recruitment, where such appointment falls under the same year”.
The discrimination of the Asst. Lecturers under the Senior Service Grade I under the direct recruitment of the MPSC with a Post Graduate Degree is notorious. With a service of having served two decades or more, the Asst. Lecturers are neglected while others are double promoted.
Furthermore, the Entry Point –
Junior School Service Asst. Teachers from Upper Primary Level when upgraded to Grade II Senior, their entry point is counted from when they take the office from the Grade II of the Senior School Service, while it is unclear of the service of the teachers who start from the Grade II Senior School Service.
Asst. Lecturers entry point is Master’s with B.Ed. while that of the Asst. Teachers is B.A. B.Ed. How can the Asst. Lecturers be clubbed into the same category with the Grade II with lesser qualifications, while some of the Grade II of The Senior School Service can take the role of the Grade I (Vice Principal), a designation higher than the more qualified Asst. Lecturers? There are no prerequisite qualifications of the Grade II, Senior School unlike in the Junior School Service to go to the Senior School Service Grade II (as mentioned above).
They can even take the role of a Vice Principal without a B.Ed. while only being a graduate as mentioned above in the Senior School Service Grade II. All the promotion of the Meghalaya School Service Rules, 2012 are given by the DSEL (Directorate of School Education and Literacy) while the promotion from Senior Grade I of Meghalaya School Service Rules, 2012 to Junior Grade II of the Meghalaya School Education Service Rules, 2012 is done by the Education Department.
It can be concluded that the beginning of the flaw of the confusion and chaos in the system is partially because of the DSEL. Therefore, most of the technocrats holding the post in Meghalaya School Education Service right from Junior Grade II up to senior Grade I are those from the Grade II of the Meghalaya School Service Rule, 2012 without a formidable and formal criterion for promotion. Therefore, there is a loophole!
Though the Selection Grade post is held by the IAS/MCS most of the subordinate officers and technocrats are originally from the Grade II of the Meghalaya School Service. Therefore, to protect the positions, the proper requisite qualifications have been purposely neglected. The question we would like to ask now is, why can’t the Selection Grade officer not overlook even this simple Service Rules which is in shambles? Are the bureaucrat(s) so blinded by favouritism and lob-sided partiality that they do not mind losing the dignity of their position? Or is it because they only enjoy the position, and the salary they’re given without having the decency to work respectfully, or are they left helpless without an ounce of fight on their veins over a graduate(s) way below par of their intellectual pinnacle. Education has been revered, respect and loved. Great men have lost and sacrificed their life for knowledge and education, but the education of today is politicised and DISGRACEFULLY gambled by learned men and women. What a Shame!
By Mayborn Lyngdoh R
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