TURA: SSA School teachers from Garo Hills have sought exemption from election duty next month on account of the D.El.Ed examinations coinciding with the election date on February 27.
Publicity Secretary of the All Garo Hills SSA School Teachers’ Association (AGHSSASTA), Tronament D Sangma on behalf of the teaching fraternity requested that they are exempted from poll duty as the D.El.Ed exams being held from February 26 to 28 will coincide with the poll date.
“The examination is very crucial for all untrained teachers as we will lose our jobs if we do not clear the same by March 2019,” Sangma said.
Raising the issue of SSA teachers’ long pending salary including arrears, Sangma sought its release before the MLA elections.
“Almost all the SSA teachers have been assigned poll duties. We know that it is mandatory for selected teachers to perform their respective duties during elections, but is it also not mandatory for the government to release our pending arrears and salaries? How can we go for election duty without money?” Sangma said.
Due to the failure of the government to release their pending dues, Sangma said they were struggling even to meet their daily domestic needs, not to mention their children’s school fees and their own training expenditure.
“The government must either release our pending dues before the MLA elections or exempt us from election duties,” he said.
The association has also written to the Deputy Commissioner cum Chairman of the SSA in East Garo Hills where they informed that their salaries have been pending since September last year. The association urged the official to intervene in the matter and ensure the speedy release of all pending dues.