NONGPOH, Sep 24: The Ri-Bhoi People’s Council (RBPC) on Thursday halted the written examination for 20 Staff Nurse posts at the Maternity and Child Hospital (MCH), Umsning Parila, objecting to the large number of applicants from outside the district.
The recruitment examination was being conducted at Morning Star Secondary School, Nongpoh.
RBPC leaders first met District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) officials to raise their concerns before reaching the examination centre, where they intervened and stopped the written test.
RBPC president Jason Lennox Nongrum said the recruitment advertisement issued on September 10 invited applications from across the country instead of giving preference to eligible candidates from Ri-Bhoi or Meghalaya.
According to Nongrum, about 192 candidates from Ri-Bhoi appeared for the examination, while around 231 candidates were from outside the district. The recruitment is for 20 Staff Nurse positions.
The RBPC president said the council was not opposed to candidates from outside Ri-Bhoi applying for government posts. However, he maintained that qualified candidates from the district should receive preference for employment opportunities created within Ri-Bhoi.
Nongrum said the council had repeatedly raised the issue with the district administration, seeking greater employment opportunities for qualified local youths amid limited job prospects.
The RBPC has urged the authorities to review the recruitment process and ensure that eligible job seekers from Ri-Bhoi get a fair opportunity to compete for posts available in the district.
