SHILLONG, June 12: The Federation of All School Teachers of Meghalaya (FASTOM) has threatened to resume its agitation seeking the fulfillment of its demands.
It asked the teachers to be prepared to indefinitely sleep on the streets, an indication that the agitation will be stepped up if the demands — hike in salaries of the ad hoc teachers by Rs 18,000 and a five per cent increment every year — are not met with.
“…Our patience is running out. At the commencement of the third Cabinet meeting, we will either rejoice or prepare to indefinitely sleep on the streets as decided on May 12 last,” FASTOM spokesperson, Mayborn Lyngdoh, wrote in an “open letter” to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
The leaders of the Federation had a discourse with Sangma at his office after it issued a deadline on May 12, seeking the fulfillment of the demands. The FASTOM expressed dissatisfaction over the CM’s statement made after the second Cabinet meeting on June 9.
Lyngdoh said it was agreed that the government will arrive at a decision on the demands in three Cabinet meetings but the CM started realising the same entails hundreds of crores of rupees and lowering the budget of some other departments.
According to the FASTOM leader, Sangma had also stated the ministers concerned and the departments would have to be aware that there would be a budget cut.
“The problems are not with the ad hoc teachers. It depends on the efficiency of the people working in the government. The above statement clearly shows how aloof you are from reality,” Lyngdoh said.
He argued that if the Cabinet needs to have a “detailed discussion” on budget cuts, “then what about the Rs 5240.32 crore which was returned to the Centre as the state government was not able to provide the utilisation certificates”.
“It is a problem of the state government and the people working in the various departments of the government. It is not right to deny the rights of the ad hoc teachers of the state, an enhancement which they have been waiting for the last six years,” Lyngdoh said.
He said as the ad hoc teachers wait for the third and the last Cabinet meeting, they hope the state government will keep each other’s dignity and respect and honour the position and the profession of teachers.
“We hope to receive a positive response from the Cabinet Ministers. We hope you will not push us to the streets again nor will you deny the students a classroom without their teachers,” the FASTOM spokesman said in his letter to the CM.
Earlier, the Federation called off its indefinite agitation after Sangma had assured that a proposal for enhancement of salaries of the ad hoc teachers will be cleared within three Cabinet meetings.
