TURA/SHILLONG: The All Garo Hills Non-Ad Hoc Secondary and Higher Secondary School Teachers’ Association submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma urging him to look into the sanction of grant-in aids to teachers under the category. The teachers recently met the chief minister and told him that they were denied the grant-in-aid.
The association said under the Congress government, only two secondary schools in Ampati were granted special ad hoc grant-in-aids while all other secondary schools in the state were neglected.
“We had submitted a memorandum in this regard to the Education Minister in September 2017. However, nothing has been done,” the association said.
The association added that while some schools have been given science grant-in aids for the welfare of science teachers, other assistant teachers, including headmaster and principal were deprived of financial assistance.
Sangma assured the association that he would look into the issue.
Meanwhile, the All Garo Hills 4th Teachers Association also met Sangma at his residence in Tura and submitted a memorandum requesting hike in salary as well as regularisation.
The president of the association, Tengsrang Sangma, said initially the state appointed four teachers per school and paid Rs 1,500 per month per teacher.
In 2008, the state enhanced the salary of teachers to Rs 3,000. According to Tengsrang, in 2010 the state categorised that while the fourth teacher will get Rs 6,000, other three categories of teachers will get Rs 9,900 in 2016.
Later, the three SSA teachers got Rs 20,493 as salary whereas 4th teacher is getting only Rs 12,000.
NIOS jolt
Teachers have raised concern over the decision of National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to conduct examination for untrained in-service elementary school teachers on a Sunday.
In a letter to Sangma, the president of Meghalaya SSA School Association, Central Body Aristotle C. Rymbai said NIOS has tied up with the state to provide Diploma in Elementary Education for conducting its examination on April 27, 28 and 29 where April 29 is a Sunday. Rymbai said “for Christians Sunday is a special day consecrated to the service of God” and requested Sangma to intervene in the matter.
