TURA, Dec 21: Christmas, which is usually about feasts and merrymaking, may not be the same for SSA teachers in Garo Hills unlike yesteryears as there are odds of them neither making merry nor eating during the festival.
The SSA school teachers from Garo Hills, under the banner of the All Garo Hills SSA School Teachers’ Association (AGHSSASTA), on Monday threatened to stage a hunger strike on December 24 and 25 outside Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s residence if they do not receive their salaries before Christmas.
The association, while pointing out that the non-release of the salaries would make them and their families miss out on a proper celebration of Christmas, rejected the recent claim made by Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui that the salaries were pending due to the non-release of funds from the Centre.
“On August 14 this year, PAB of 2020-21 was sanctioned by the central government to the state of Meghalaya. We are confirmed of the fact that the state has already received the PAB of 2020-21 instalments. Therefore, we cannot accept the press statement released by the state education minister who justified the reason for the pending salaries, saying that it is due to the non-release of the funds by the central government. If the state government still does not bother to address the current grievances of SSA teachers in the state at the earliest and cannot give the clear clarification concerning the receipt of funds of PAB-2020-21, we would be compelled to take the issues to the central government within a couple of days,” the association said.
Reminding that Chief Minister Conrad Sangma often states that the focus of the government is on quality education, the aggrieved teachers questioned as to how the chief minister can expect quality education when the teachers are being denied their salary.
“Where is the promise made by the chief minister during the last election campaign, during which he assured ‘Education would be the top and first priority among all other departments in the state’? If education is the topmost priority of the MDA Government then why the SSA teachers of Meghalaya are subjected to this grave situation,” the association said.
The association also questioned the stand taken by the state government which maintains that no state had received the funds from the Centre.
“The state government is claiming that the Centre has not released even the first instalment to the Meghalaya government. If that is so, how can we expect to implement all the instalments of PAB 2020-21 within January and February 2021 before next PAB of 2021-22? Would it be possible for the state government to submit all the utilisation certificates within two months before the next PAB of 2021-22 is released?” it asked.