SHILLONG: The Meghalaya SSA School Association (MSSASA) submitted a memorandum to the Education Minister, Lahkmen Rymbui to include in the State Education Policy the “merging of SSA teachers working under budget head of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in Education Department on regular basis as per mandatory SSA & RTE norms”.
The Association met the minister on May 18.
In a statement issued here on Sunday, the president of the association,
Aristotle C Rymbai said the suggestion is based on the facts and guidelines mentioned in Para number 21, sub para 21.1 of SSA Manual on Financial Management and Procurement that the teachers under sanctioned post of SSA are to be appointed by Education Department as SSA is not separated but is an additionality to States/UTs over and above the expenditure on elementary education.
Further, as per revised SSA norms issued by Centre on January 1, 2014 approved by Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister, who is Chairman of the Executive Committee of National Mission for SSA in para 8 under “Additional teachers”, sub para (i) stated that state should maintain unified teaching cadre and no separate SSA Teachers is permissible.
There will be no separate teachers as sanctioned by the Centre.
Rather, all teachers are ultimately the responsibility of the State/UTs and the recruitment and other service matters of teachers falling under the domain of state governments and the Centre is only to provide support as per the availability of funds based on certain desirable guiding principles and required to be followed by the state government.
Due to vague nature of instructions, many States/UTs, including Meghalaya had appointed teachers under SSA under State Implementation Society on contractual basis.
However, the instruction of Ministry of Human Resources Development was for appointment of teachers on same salary, allowances and service conditions as of state budget teachers.
Rymbai also said per SSA framework based on RTE Act 2009 in para 1.5 it is clearly clarified that SSA is not separate but aligned with RTE Act and norms of SSA.
The association urged the state government to include their suggestion in the policy and to implement the mandatory norms of SSA and RTE Act 2009 in true spirit as mentioned Chapter 3 para 3.4 sub para 3.4.1 of the draft copy of Meghalaya State Education Policy 2018.
