Aizawl: Hundreds of students from Mizoram held a protest rally on Monday, demanding the dismissal of unqualified teachers who have worked part-time for the past 8 to 17 years without meeting the required eligibility criteria within the stipulated timeframe.
Officials said the authorities have already issued show-cause notices to the alleged unqualified teachers and asked them to submit their responses within 15 days.
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The protest, organized by the Mizo Students’ Union (MSU), marched from Vanapa Hall to the Directorate of Higher and Technical Education at Zarkawt, covering a distance of about 2 km.
The protesters demanded the immediate termination of unqualified assistant professors and urged the government not to compromise the future of students.
The police reported no law and order issues during the agitation, which the protesters called off after the government assured them it would dismiss the teachers within five days after the 15-day deadline ended.
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Speaking at the protest site in front of the Higher and Technical Education office, MSU president B. Lalkhawngaihzuala said the organization strongly opposes giving further opportunities to unqualified teachers and demanded that the government not extend their service period next year.
He alleged that students’ careers have been jeopardized due to the recruitment of unqualified teachers.
The protesters dispersed after unanimously adopting resolutions affirming their trust in the government’s assurance to terminate the teachers within five days after the show-cause notice deadline ends.
The resolutions also stated that the government must keep its promise and act decisively.
The government should now appoint only qualified teachers and must replace current assistant professors who lack the required qualifications with eligible candidates, the resolution stated.
State Higher and Technical Education Minister Dr. Vanlalthlana said that the Mizoram Public Service Commission (MPSC) had recruited the teachers on a part-time basis between 2008 and 2017, during the Mizo National Front (MNF) and Congress regimes.
He claimed that the current Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) government, led by Chief Minister Lalduhoma, has not recruited any unqualified teachers, those who failed to clear the National Eligibility Test (NET), Mizoram Teacher Eligibility Test (MTET), or do not hold a Ph.D.
Vanlalthlana said the government has issued show-cause notices to teachers currently working in general colleges, a law college in Aizawl, and Mizoram Polytechnic in Lunglei, and has asked them to submit their replies within 15 days.
He also said the government has given over 100 muster roll teachers, who have not cleared the MTET, a final opportunity to pass the test this time.
The previous MNF government had given them until 2024 to clear the teacher eligibility test, he said.
Vanlalthlana further stated that the government is also working to identify unqualified teachers employed under the Samagra Shiksha scheme.