SHILLONG, July 26: Teachers from as many as nine secondary and three upper primary deficit pattern schools met here on Tuesday with the intention to raise their grievances.
The issue was raised during the general meeting organised by the All Deficit-Pattern Schools Teachers’ Association on the premises of Garo union Higher Secondary School, Shillong.
“The main idea behind the gathering was to demand and raise long-pending grievances of all deficit pattern category of schools in the state as they do not enjoy other allowances or facilities like Hill allowance, Medical allowance, House Rent, advance increment for higher educational qualification and gratuity like the deficit teachers,” the association said in a statement.
The meeting resolved to entreat Meghalaya government to either upgrade the schools to full-fledged deficit system or to implement other allowances such as medical allowance, house rent allowance, and advance increment for higher educational qualification and gratuity in favour of all deficit pattern schools.
In this regard, the association called on Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong and the Director of School Education & Literacy, Shillong, and submitted their memorandum while raising multiple issues and demands.
Stating that deficit pattern secondary school receives only DA plus basic pay, the association claimed that the aforementioned perks are not given to the teachers since the inception of this category of school.
At the meeting, the association discussed how since 1993, the deficit patter teachers have been kept from benefiting other facilities over the last three decades.
“If the teachers are the nation builders and the architect of the society, why is there so much impertinence and discrimination in terms of facilitating the same other allowances to all schools which are under Deficit Pattern category? They should have been given equal benefits like Deficit Schools in the state. There is no gratuity as well as National Pension Scheme so far. Deficit Pattern employees also need justice and equal pay for equal work in the days to come,” the association said in the statement.
