Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sept 15: Opposition AITC leader and former chief minister Mukul Sangma today said that the State government instead of making an appeal should call for a meeting in regard to the issues to be raised by the opposition in the Assembly’s autumn session, which went underway here.

When sought for his comment on the request made by deputy chief minister in-charge parliamentary affairs Prestone Tynsong that the opposition should sit down together and decide on the issues to avoid overlapping and wasting of time, Sangma said, “You should put the question back to the deputy CM in-charge Parliamentary affairs. It is considered as an approach to see that okay there is a healthy environment created in sync with the tradition that we are proud of in as far as the tradition of our August House is concerned, the dignity, the quorum and quality of debate and deliberation in the House has always been a matter of pride for the people of the State.”

“Therefore, in that line, if the government is sending that kind of appeal or whatever you may call it then we expect them to call for a meeting. They can’t just drop their idea on the streets. There is a way of doing things,” he said.

Stating that the present House has many newly elected members, Sangma said, “There is a need to have a kind of floor management which should be preceded by the kind of discussion amongst the political parties both in the ruling and the opposition that is what we are trying to do.”

“At the same time, we also intend to give more time, more space for our friends who are newly elected,” he added.

The state government has decided to appoint temporary teachers in government lower primary schools, which are functioning without teachers.

Informing this here, Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma said that there are more than 1002 vacancies in the government’s lower primary schools.

“In view of the delay in the recruitment of regular teachers, we have decided to appoint temporary teachers in such schools,” he said while adding all teachers to be appointed will be MTET passed.

The minister said the process of appointing regular teachers may take some time due to the preparation of the roster system.

“The education department and its officials are working day and night to complete the process of giving all data to the personnel department at the earliest but it is not easy,” he added.

He said that there are over 26 lower primary schools in South Garo Hills which are presently without teachers.

Meanwhile, the minister informed that the government will be constructing new school buildings for over 117 lower primary schools in the next 2-3 months and will be taking up repairs of over 1,000 schools.