By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 17: The Education department is coming up with a detailed action plan and a policy for the job security of around 13,000 Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) teachers, Education Commissioner and Secretary Vijay Kumar told associations of teachers on Tuesday.
Kumar held a meeting with members of various SSA teachers’ bodies including the Meghalaya SSA Schools Association (MSSASA), All Meghalaya SSA Schools Association, and All Meghalaya Fourth Teachers Association.
Talking to reporters after the meeting at the Main Secretariat, MSSASA president Aristotle Rymbai said the Education department would present the detailed action plan on the job security of the SSA teachers to the Cabinet on January 10. He said the Cabinet would decide whether or not to approve the plan.
At the same time, Rymbai said Kumar assured them that he would take up with the government the suggestion they put forth for the constitution of the Empowered Committee.
The MSSASA suggested that the members of the Empowered Committee should be officials from the Law, Personnel, and Education departments apart from members of the SSA teachers’ associations.
Rymbai said the government also welcomed their decision during the general meeting on Monday to withdraw their proposed agitation and continue with the ongoing discussion.
He said the government would seek legal opinion from the Advocate General on their demand seeking exemption for all the SSA teachers who have joined on or before July 1, 2020, to clear the Meghalaya Teacher Eligibility Test (MTET) examination.
Rymbai said the notification issued by the government on July 1, 2020, clearly stated that MTET qualification is mandatory from the date of issuing of the notification.
He said Kumar told them that the government would not have any problem giving an exemption if there was no legal issue.
He added that they were also told that the Education department would advertise the vacant teachers’ posts within the next two to three weeks, as assured by Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma.