Teachers demand inquiry into anomalies

By Our Reporter  

SHILLONG, JAN 24: Agitating school teachers on Tuesday demanded immediate inquiry into the alleged anomalies in the result of the Diploma in Elementary Education (D.EL.ED) declared by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).

The demand was made on the first day of the two-day sit-in-demonstration staged by over 500 schoolteachers in front of the NIOS Shillong branch office located in DERT office building at Laitumkhrah affected by the “faulty” results..

Those attended the protest sponsored by the Meghalaya SSA Schools Association (MSSASA) also warned that they would ensure the signboard of the NIOS be removed within two weeks if the anomalies are not rectified.

Earlier, the protesters also declined the request for talks made by DERT director and NIOS officials maintaining that “verbal assurances” (which was given for past one year) will no longer be accepted.

At the meeting, MSSASA leaders informed that it was after a delay of nine months, the NIOS decided to announce the result for the 1st batch of 4000 teachers appearing for the D.EL.ED training course on September, last year.

However, the result was found to be an incomplete since internal marks from study centres was not included and moreover thouse who appeared in particular subjects were marked absent

The agitating teachers said more than 90 percent of the teachers were declared as unsuccessful only because of such anomalies in the results.

“It was after many protests, the NIOS again agreed to rectify the anomalies and came up with a fresh result on December 4, last year, which again is found to be incomplete,” they said.

Later speaking to reporters, MSSASA general secretary HM Marbaniang said that the association is demanding that an inquiry should be set up to bring out the incompetency and inefficiency of the NIOS.

Stating that they would intensify their protests, he warned, “We will be announcing stern decisions tomorrow if the NIOS authority fails to address the grievances of the teachers.”

He said the inefficiency of the NIOS only compelled the MSSASA to demand for its immediate replacement and the task of providing training to the teachers be handed over to other institutes like the IGNOU.

“We don’t want such harassment to be repeated especially when training for another 8000 teachers have recently been approved and sanctioned by the government,” he added.

Marbaniang also said that the delay in rectifying the anomalies have affected the teachers especially those teaching in SSA schools  by depriving them to get the benefits of the enhanced salary approved by Project Approval Board (PAB).