SHILLONG: The State Government’s decision to hike the salary of SSA teachers was welcomed on Friday but the move to classify teachers as trained and untrained has upset the Meghalaya SSA Schools Association (MSSASA) that has demanded a revision in salary for the latter.
According to the order, salary of the trained SSA teachers who meet the criteria as per the Right to Education (RTE) Act and the National Council for Teachers’ Education (NCTE) norms will be enhanced from Rs 9,200 to Rs 19,440 for lower primary and from Rs Rs 9, 900 to Rs 20,493 for upper primary.
However, the salary of untrained SSA teachers who are yet to complete their training as per the norms will be increased from Rs 9,200 to Rs 13,335 for lower primary and Rs 9,900 to Rs 14,943 for upper primary.
Addressing media persons here on Friday, president of the MSSASA central body Aristotle C. Rymbai said the members have accepted the order issued by the Commissioner Secretary of Education D.P Wahlang, but “they are also saddened by the decision to classify teachers”.
MSSASA demanded that the government should revise the salary of untrained SSA teachers for both LP and UP classes by earlier next year as around 85 percent of them are untrained teachers and they have already worked for more than 10 years.
The association further demanded that the untrained teachers’ salary be revised to Rs 18,000 and Rs 19,000 from the current revised salary of Rs 13,335 and Rs 14,943 for both UP and LP classes, at the next Project Approval Board.
Stating that the Garo Hills region consists of only 10 percent trained teachers, he added that they have apprised the Minister in-charge that around 90 percent of teachers are untrained since they did not get the opportunity.
Meanwhile, teachers under the Meghalaya Upper Primary School Teachers’ Association (MUPSTA) in Garo Hills are disappointed over the failure of the State Government to release the already prepared enhancement grant for ad hoc lower primary and upper primary teachers.
Earlier on October 28, the Commissioner and Secretary of the Education Department had said the Minister of School Education and Literacy had approved the proposed enhancement. MUPSTA, along with JACATAM leaders, had submitted a petition to Chief Minister Mukul Sangma at Ampati on October 31 in this regard.
Despite all these efforts, their demand for salary enhancement has been kept pending. “We fail to understand why the government is intentionally delaying the process. As per reliable sources from the Finance Department, all necessary preparations for the release of salary has already been completed,” the teachers said.
The government had, in August, assured 100 percent hike of salary during a joint meeting with the leaders of JACATAM.
Reminding that Secondary and Higher Secondary teachers had already drawn their enhanced grants in November, the teachers urged the government to release their salary before Christmas.
