Shillong, March 23: The Meghalaya SSA Schools Association (MSSASA) has welcomed the state government’s decision to relax eligibility criteria and qualifying marks for in‑service teachers appearing for the Meghalaya Teacher Eligibility Test (MTET) 2026.
“We extend our gratitude to the MDA government under the leadership of chief minister Conrad K Sangma and especially the education minister Lahkmen Rymbui for giving approval to relax the eligibility criteria and for relaxing the qualifying marks for in-service teachers,” MSSASA President Aristotle C Rymbai told reporters on Monday.
The qualifying marks will be 68 instead of 90 out of 150 for in-service teachers.
Later, speaking to reporters, Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said over 25,000 in‑service teachers in Meghalaya must pass the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) by August 31, 2027 to comply with a Supreme Court mandate.
“The Supreme Court on September 1, 2025 mandated that all teachers — in‑service or future — should have TET qualification for elementary education,” Rymbui noted, stressing that the order applies retrospectively
“All teachers, since the date of appointment, who don’t have TET have to appear and pass,” he said.
Those with as little as five years left in service are also included; and failure to clear the exam will block promotion.
No relief for tainted teachers in education scam
Rymbui said the service of teachers declared “tainted” by the High Court in the education scam case must still be terminated even though criminal proceedings against former officials have been quashed.
“These are two separate issues,” Rymbui told reporters. “The court declared some teachers during that recruitment as tainted and those teachers have to be terminated — that stand as of now.”
Speaking on the other case, Rymbui said, “The High Court has quashed the criminal case against them. These are two different things”.
Verification of teachers
Rymbui announced that verification of SSA and adhoc teachers is underway statewide, clearing the way for a new salary structure effective 1 April 2026.
“The step for verification… is going on all over the state,” Rymbui said. West Garo Hills has opened dedicated centres to keep the process moving despite recent law‑and‑order disruptions.
