SSA teachers demand more benefits

SHILLONG: The central body of Meghalaya SSA School Association, has said teachers receive negligible benefits.
In a statement issued here, president of the association, Aristotle Rymbai, said scales of pay and allowances, medical facilities, provident fund, maternity benefits and other prescribed benefits are virtually non-existent for the 12541 teachers in the state even after 17 years of implementation of the SSA flagship programme.
He cited Article 14 — Right to equality in law — and Article 42 which  states “the State shall make provision for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief”.
He said that in order to regulate the employment of women in certain establishments for certain periods before and after childbirth and to provide for maternity benefits and certain other benefits stated in the Constitution, the Parliament enacted the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 which was amended in 2017 and named as  the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017.
Rymbai asked whether the main purpose for which these protective laws were made is achieved and whether teachers are benefited by these.