Meghalaya postpones MTET after teachers raise census, SIR duty burden

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on May 18 announced the postponement of the Meghalaya Teacher Eligibility Test (MTET), which was scheduled to be held on May 29, following appeals from teachers engaged in Census and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) duties.

Speaking at a public programme in Damas in North Garo Hills district, the chief minister said teachers had expressed concern over the difficulty of preparing for the examination while simultaneously managing classroom teaching and government assignments related to the Census and SIR exercise.

“The teachers are worried and in a dilemma, given their multiple concurrent assignments,” Sangma said while announcing the postponement of the examination.

He assured teachers that the government would review the overall situation and announce a fresh date for the MTET to ensure candidates get adequate preparation time.

Sangma also highlighted the larger challenges confronting Meghalaya’s education sector and praised teachers for continuing their work despite systemic limitations and gaps in professional training.

He said the state government has made major investments over the years in expanding educational infrastructure and increasing the number of schools across Meghalaya, but acknowledged that improving the quality of education remains a key challenge.

“In terms of quantity, we have enough schools, but we are lagging in quality,” the chief minister said, adding that improving educational standards would require cooperation among the government, teachers, parents and other stakeholders.