SHILLONG, Oct 5: As Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) teachers continue to push for fulfilment of their demands which include the disbursal of their arrears, Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui has assured to release their salaries as soon as the Centre allocates funds to the state.
“As and when the Government of India releases the fund, we will surely release (it). We never hold it back. We know what is the hardship they are undergoing,” said Rymbui.
He, however, said that the state government cannot do much in this regard until and unless the Centre releases the fund.
The SSA teachers have been demanding the release of their arrears pertaining to the months June, July and August, 2021, besides a hike in their pay.
In regard to the demand for regularisation of services of all 12,541 SSA teachers, the minister said that it is “not possible at this juncture”.
The Meghalaya SSA School Association (MSSASA) had earlier asked the government to fulfill the demands of the teachers before September 30 and if not face a mass casual leave protest, which was proposed to be staged on October 11 and 12.
A decision on the protest was taken at a recent sit-in demonstration.
Moreover, during the Autumn Session of the Assembly recently, threadbare discussions were witnessed on the challenges and plight of SSA teachers. But many legislators requested the government to bail them out of their misery.
NPP MLA from Phulbari, SG Esmatur Mominin had even moved the state government to adopt a resolution to urge the Centre to address the grievances of SSA teachers in the state.
Nonetheless, no such resolution was passed.
