By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 4: The lack of teachers in the SSA schools is the reason behind the rise in the number of dropouts, the Meghalaya SSA School Association (MSSASA) claimed.
MSSASA president Aristotle C Rymbai told reporters on Monday that the main objective of the central government’s Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) was to encourage children to remain in school and reduce the number of dropouts.
He said they met State Project Director of Samagra Shiksha Swapnil Tembe and urged the government to fill up the vacant posts in SSA schools, in primary as well as upper primary level. The posts have not been filled up since 2021.
Rymbai said the number of students in many SSA schools dropped from 50-60 to 10 as the government has not filled up the posts of teachers who had resigned after getting other jobs.
He said Tembe assured to raise the concerns of the association before the state government. Tembe also told them that the state government will have to close down the schools which are left with no students.
“We would like to urge the SSA teachers to take note of this,” Rymbai said.
He said they will also meet Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma to understand the mind of the state government – if it has any plans to fill up the vacant posts.
He said not less than 89 posts are lying vacant in Upper Primary level in East Khasi Hills. Similarly, he added, 27 posts are lying vacant in Upper Primary and 21 in Lower Primary levels in East Jaintia Hills.
Rymbai said the MSSASA has written to Meghalaya State Education Commission chairperson Prof Sherwin May Sungoh on the demand to shift the 12,541 SSA teachers, who are under the State Implementation Society, to the Education department as per provisions laid down in the Right to Education Act and the SSA.
The MSSASA raised this demand after the state government had constituted the State Education Commission in the wake of protests staged by the association in Shillong.