SHILLONG, Oct 8: The Meghalaya SSA Schools Association (MSSASA) is seeking support from all cabinet ministers in their demand to transfer SSA teachers from the State Implementation Society to the Education department.
MSSASA president Aristotle Rymbai stated on Tuesday, “We met Sports Minister Comingone Ymbon, Minister Sakliar Warjri, and Advisor to the Education Minister, HM Shangpliang. We requested their support for the movement advocating a policy to ensure the job security and services of SSA teachers. They assured us that they would bring the matter to the attention of the Chief Minister and the Education minister.”
Rymbai added that the association plans to meet with all cabinet ministers in the coming days, asking them to discuss the issue with the Chief Minister and the Education minister.
Addressing the perceived divide between SSA teachers — those wanting absorption into the education department versus the All Meghalaya SSA School Teacher Association (AMSSATA) pushing for a 100% salary revision — Rymbai clarified, “I don’t believe SSA teachers are divided. At the general meeting held at Student Field, thousands of teachers unanimously decided that, between salary enhancement and job security, we should prioritise pressuring the government to create a policy for absorbing teachers into the state education department.”
He also noted the split in the associations, saying, “We were once united, but some members formed another association. It’s their decision, and we have no comment on that.” While he refrained from commenting on the recent AMSSATA agitation, Rymbai said, “In July 2022, we took to the streets after the government failed to meet our demands. We were then invited for discussions, and since then, we’ve had a series of meetings. In one of those meetings, the Commissioner Secretary for Education informed us that the government is working on a cabinet memorandum addressing job security.”
Regarding a letter from the central government, he said, “The Ministry of Education informed us that the Government of India has approved the extension of the SSA scheme for five more years. Based on this, most states have made policy decisions to absorb SSA teachers, and we, too, are pushing for such a policy in Meghalaya at the earliest.”
