Shillong, September 11: Meghalaya Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Friday strongly defended Education Commissioner and Secretary Vijay Kumar Mantri amid demands by the opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) for his removal, describing him as one of the most hardworking and accessible officers in the department. “I have seen the reasons cited by the political party. Vijay Mantri is by far the most hardworking and most accessible officer to any individual or group,” Rymbui said.
The minister acknowledged that Mantri may not be able to resolve every issue immediately, but said the officer is willing to listen and work towards solutions. “He passionately listens and has the ability to understand and solve issues,” Rymbui said.
Rejecting allegations that Mantri has failed to listen to teachers, the Education Minister recalled his role during the teachers’ hunger strike at Malki. “When teachers were on hunger strike at Malki, he went twice as the government representative to tell them that we were coming up with a new pay structure. Their demands were salary enhancement and social security. Under Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, we worked on it,” he said.
Rymbui said Mantri held discussions with various teachers’ organisations, which eventually contributed to the introduction of a new pay structure. “As head of the department, he tried his best and convinced the government to take a tough step,” he said.
According to the minister, the new framework has brought greater security and recognition to teachers. “Earlier, under the ad hoc system, a person who had worked for 30 years and somebody who had just joined were at the same level. Now we have a framework where there is security and recognition,” Rymbui said. He also referred to the felicitation of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma by teachers in Shillong, Tura and Williamnagar, saying it reflected the government’s efforts to address long-pending issues in the education sector.
Taking a swipe at the VPP’s demand for Mantri’s removal, Rymbui challenged the party to identify a more efficient officer. “If anybody can identify an officer more efficient than Vijay Mantri, kindly identify him. There is no harm. We have two Commissioner and Secretaries and they are performing very well. Let us not demoralise officers who are trying to work for the system,” he said.
Rymbui added that shortcomings are inevitable but should not overshadow efforts being made to improve the education system. “Everybody is not perfect. I am not perfect, but we are trying to fulfil our responsibility,” he said.
The Meghalaya Schools Welfare Development Association Central Body (MSWDA-CB) has opposed the Voice of the People Party’s (VPP) demand for the removal of Education Commissioner and Secretary Vijay Kumar Mantri, IAS, saying policy disagreements should not be turned into a personal demand against a senior government officer.
In a representation submitted to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Friday, the association said differences over government policies should instead be addressed through dialogue, consultation, representations and constructive criticism. The MSWDA-CB, which represents School Management Committees of various aided, recognised and permitted schools, said it did not support the removal of Mantri merely because certain groups or political organisations disagreed with government policies being implemented by the Education Department.
The association said the education sector had been facing longstanding disparities in the salaries and service conditions of teachers under different categories, including Science Grant, Fourth Teacher, SSA and Adhoc teachers. It said the State Pay Framework (SPF) was part of the government’s efforts to bring greater uniformity and rationalisation to the education sector and that the officer implementing such policies should not be personally targeted.
The association also said it had witnessed Mantri engaging with stakeholders and working to address longstanding issues in the sector. While acknowledging that government policies could be questioned, the MSWDA-CB maintained that there was a clear distinction between constructive criticism and demanding the removal of an officer for implementing government decisions.
The association urged the Chief Minister to allow the Education Department the necessary administrative space to pursue reforms aimed at removing disparities, strengthening government-aided schools and creating a fairer system for teachers and students. It said the education sector needed “solutions, not personalisation of policy disputes; dialogue, not political targeting; and long-term reform, not short-term political confrontation.”
