SHILLONG, July 13: The Meghalaya Upper Primary School Teachers Association (MUPSTA) on Tuesday urged Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to upgrade the existing 844 ad hoc upper-primary schools to the deficit system.
“The last upgradation of ad hoc upper primary schools to deficit system was in 1989-1990. After a long period of 28 years, there was no more upgradation,” MUPSTA said in its letter to the CM.
Referring to the RTI documents, which the association had received on April 13 this year, the association said that there are as many as 844 ad hoc upper-primary schools, 54 deficit pattern, 82 deficit system and 56 government schools.
“Up to 1990, upgradation of ad hoc upper primary schools to deficit system was done merely on political back up by the previous governments. Therefore, there are many genuine ad hoc upper-primary schools which still function under ad hoc system for many years even after their Golden Jubilee Celebration,” it said.
According to the association, majority of these schools have provided services for more than 20 years.
It further pointed out to the CM that so far ad hoc upper primary schools have never received any infrastructural development from the government except fund up to Rs 60,000 for the construction of kitchen for midday meal and Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for building construction, while the SSA schools have received more than Rs 14 lakh for building construction and other works. The association sought the appointment of Hindi teachers in upper primary level, maintaining that allotting such teachers to only secondary schools is “meaningless”.
“The existing schools of different categories have spoiled the Education system in Meghalaya. Many qualified and in-service trained teachers left their teaching profession from time to time, due to this kind of discrepancies in salaries and no future prospects,” it said.
The association, on the other hand, has also petitioned Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on the proposal to upgrade the 844 ad hoc schools to deficit system.
