4th teachers move Education minister with slew of demands

SHILLONG/TURA, March 17: The All Meghalaya 4th Teachers’ Association on Friday called on Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma, with a slew of demands, including regularisation of their services and equal salaries.
In a memorandum to the education minister, a copy of which was forwarded to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, the 4th teachers demanded that they be paid salaries at par with ad hoc upper primary schoolteachers, government upper primary schoolteachers and the deficit upper primary schoolteachers.
The 4th teachers are also seeking the regular disbursement of salaries as well as 5 per cent annual increment.
They also pointed out that they were appointed as assistant upper primary schoolteachers after fulfilling all the requisite qualifications as per the NCTE but that the government changed their category to 4th teachers only in 2012 without any reason or justification.
Pointing out that they have been rendering their services for decades with equal workload when compared to their counterparts, the 4th teachers urged the government to look into their genuine demands at the earliest.
Rakkam reminded of proposal to upgrade upper primary ad hoc schools
During the day, the members of the Meghalaya Upper Primary School Teachers Association (MUPSTA) also met the Education minister to remind him about the proposal which they had submitted in 2019 for the upgrade of the 844 upper primary ad hoc schools to the deficit system.
In a memorandum, MUPSTA president Kenneth Shadap said that the government had already sent the proposal for the upgrade of the upper primary ad hoc schools through each and every office of the Sub-Divisional School Education Officer in the state. “Each and every upper primary ad hoc school in the whole state of Meghalaya had already sent all the documents necessary for the said proposal of upgradation to the deficit system since 2019- 2020. Based on the RTI report since 1989-90, there was no upgradation to the deficit system that is for the last 33 years. We, therefore, hope that within this year of 2023, the said proposal will be implemented,” Shadap said.
He added that the Director of the School Education and Literacy (DSEL) had already compiled and completed the said proposal for the upgrade of 844 upper primary ad hoc schools to the deficit system since April 9, 2020.
While speaking to reporters, Shadap also reminded that Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma in 2018 had admitted about the need to upgrade government-aided schools into the deficit pattern.
“We have also decided to no longer be part of the Federation of All School Teachers of Meghalaya (FASToM). We will continue to pursue our demand under the umbrella of MUPSTA,” he added.