SSA teachers slam CM for non-assurance on regularisation

SHILLONG, Nov 23: The Meghalaya SSA Teachers’ Association has slammed Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma for not committing anything on the demand for the regularisation of the services of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) teachers in the state.
Aristotle Rymbai, who is the president of the Association, told reporters on Tuesday that according to the framework and guidelines of SSA, recruitment and service matter of SSA teachers are under the domain of the state government while the central government provides only financial support.
Stating that the SSA teachers are the state’s responsibility, he said their salary structure is determined by state norms based on the terms and conditions of the SSA.
The statement comes against the backdrop of Sangma’s comment that the SSA programme was started by the Government of India in areas with no presence of schools and since it is financed 90% by the central government, the state cannot be linked to the regularisation of the services of teachers.
“We demand that the CM come out with facts on hard paper. He should study all facts and figures before making such statements,” Rymbai said.
He said the Association had in 2016 taken up the matter with the central government and based on its representation, the Centre had asked the state government to look into the matter.
Apart from protesting the delay in the release of pending salaries, the Association is demanding the regularisation of all SSA teachers and the implementation of pay scales according to the prescribed norms of the Right to Education.
In the last three years, Rymbai alleged, the state government has not released funds of Rs 104 crore lying with it. It received Rs 59 crore recently. The total amount of Rs 163 crore will be sufficient to pay the pending salaries of five months, he said.
“So, why is the state government not releasing the funds of Rs 104 crore?” he asked.