Shillong, July 8: In good news for teachers and aspirants in Meghalaya, the 40 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) to be set up across the State will conduct recruitments based on the state reservation policy.

Informing this on Thursday after getting the Centre’s approval, State Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said, “They (Government of India) have agreed to allow us to implement our state reservation policy for job recruitment to these schools.”

The assurance was provided by Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda to a delegation of the State led by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma which included Rymbui.

Rymbui said the state government for the past one year has been requesting for implementation of the state reservation policy after the Centre’s decision to implement the All India Reservation Policy for the process of job recruitments in the EMRSs in the country.

“This is because only 7.5% is reserved for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) as per the all India reservation policy,” Rymbui said.

“Since we have many unemployed youths and that they may lost out the chance of getting employment, so we as a government thought it is not a very good idea (to go with the policy of the Centre). Hence, the request was made,” he shared.

According to him, apart from providing accessibility and quality education to the students, the setting up of the EMRS will pave way for addressing the unemployment problem faced by the youth in the state.

The Minister also informed that the issue related to the B.Ed College at Jowai was taken up with the NCTE. He said the NCTE has informed that curriculum and everything has been prepared and that they will take a decision to open their portal for any college to apply, which Meghalaya is ever ready to apply.