TURA, Jan 31: In a bid to mount pressure on the state government over various unfulfilled demands, primary schoolteachers from across Garo Hills, under the banner of All Garo Hills Primary School Teachers’ Association, on Monday staged a sit-in at the under-construction PA Sangma Stadium at Dakopgre in Tura.
It may be mentioned that the primary teachers are demanding regularisation of services, discontinuation of the use of primary teachers as booth-level officers and the appointment of additional teachers at single-teacher schools.
Association president, M Ch Marak, lamented that despite submitting several memoranda to the government for fulfilment of demands, the Association has received only assurance and no action.
He said that a memorandum on the issue was submitted to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma in 2018 and then to Tura MP Agatha K Sangma during the Association’s annual general conference at Raksamgre. It was after this, another memorandum was submitted to the chief minister only recently during which assurance to look into the matter was provided.
Marak lamented that despite the assurance, nothing has been done by the government.
“Teachers who are not regularised are not entitled to Assured Career Progressive Scheme (ACPS) while those categorised as non-government teachers are not only deprived of ACPS but also are not entitled for medical re-imbursement. These are only a few of the issues that the teachers faced,” Marak said.
Meanwhile, the Association has urged the government to address their grievances failing which it will be compelled to ramp up the agitation.
