Shillong, Feb 3: At the time when realising the importance of the education infrastructure in the state, the Government decided to upgrade around 250 Lower Primary schools at a budget of Rs 40 lakh for each school within this financial year.

Leader of Opposition, Mukul Sangma on Tuesday demanded that steps be taken to fill vacancies in teacher’s posts in various government Lower Primary schools, even as he slammed the MDA government over the delay in filling up vacancies.

Infact, the Congress leader has alleged that the priority of the present government to improve education has been shifted to illegal activities as he stated that some of the school managing committees and teachers expressed their concern over the lack of action and clarity on the part of the state government in connection with the filling up of vacancies in various government LP schools.

“Many LP schools now are without teachers. There are vacancies for appointment of school teachers especially those who have passed the MTET, but the government is delaying the process which has hampered the career of our tiny tot in lower primary schools,” Sangma said.

Expressing concern over the issue, he said that because of the delay on the part of the government, the parents are compelled to take their children to private schools, but there are many especially widows and singles who cannot afford to do that.

Lambasting the State Government on its claim of prioritising Education and creating road map for Educational development at the grassroot level, the Leader of Opposition said, “The present government is claiming that education is its priority, but there is no priority at all, because its priority has been shifted to illegal activities and their only priority is to delay legal mining in the state, nothing else.”

Stating most of the primary schools that did not have teachers are in the interiors of the state, Sangma said that the government should fill up the vacancies on time, because the academic career of the children will be affected.