SHILLONG — The demand to remove Education Commissioner and Secretary Vijay Kumar Mantri has added a new dimension to Meghalaya’s education debate, with two teachers’ organisations saying the officer should not be singled out for policies decided by the government.
The Meghalaya 4th Teacher Association has rejected the demand, with general secretary Federick Lyngdoh Tongkhar saying Mantri has remained accessible to teachers and consulted them before taking major decisions.
“We do not agree with the demand to remove Vijay Kumar Mantri as we have seen in the media,” Tongkhar said. He said the Special Package Framework (SPF) has addressed one of the most visible inequalities among teachers: differences in salaries despite similar duties.
“Now, through the SPF, all qualified teachers performing the same work at the same time are receiving equal pay for equal work,” he said. Tongkhar also defended Mantri’s approach to policy-making, saying the officer does not take major decisions alone.
“Before taking any decision, he does not decide on his own but calls the teachers for discussions,” he said. The Meghalaya Schools Welfare Development Association Central Body (MSWDA-CB) has taken a similar position.
In a representation to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, president H.M. Marbaniang said policy disagreements should not become a personal campaign against a senior government officer.
The association pointed to years of unequal treatment among teachers working under different categories, including Science Grant, Fourth Teacher, SSA and Ad hoc.
“The Association therefore strongly disagrees with any attempt to personally target or hold Vijay Kumar Mantri responsible for policy decisions of the government,” its representation stated.
The two organisations are drawing a line between criticising an education policy and holding the officer responsible for government decisions. They want the SPF improved through discussion, while rejecting the attempt to make Mantri the main target of the controversy.
