Handover of SSA schools’ management to Education dept
SHILLONG, April 15: The Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan School Association (MSSASA) on Tuesday requested the state government to extend the time given to SSA schools, which are run by private organisations, to hand over their management to the Education Department until May 5, 2025 and carry the process forward in the cases of those which have already consented.
The MSSASA held a meeting with Commissioner and Secretary of the Education Department Vijay Kumar Mantri to address the directives issued by the state government recently on the handover or merger of the SSA schools managed by private organizations, individuals, or societies to the state-run education system.
In a memorandum submitted to Mantri, the MSSASA appreciated the government’s initiative but expressed concerns over the challenges being faced by some private or community-managed SSA schools in complying with the government directive due to reasons including resistance from their respective School Management Committees.
“While we acknowledge the government directive, we regret to inform you that many SSA schools owned by private organizations, individuals, or societies are not in a position to comply with this request. Convincing the School Management Committees to hand over management to the government is proving to be a significant challenge,” MSSASA president Aristotle C Rymbai said in the memorandum.
He said these schools should be given more time to evaluate their options and make informed decisions.
“We request that these schools be given an additional three weeks, until May 5, 2025, to submit their decision regarding the willingness to hand over the management to the Education Department. This time will allow them to consider their options carefully,” Rymbai said.
The MSSASA’s concerns stem from the government’s broader policy framework, which stipulates that all SSA schools must be treated as government schools, without any separate cadres of teachers. The Government of India’s regulations and the Meghalaya Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011, have made it clear that all SSA teachers will ultimately fall under the state’s responsibility, and no separate SSA teaching cadre is permissible.
The MSSASA raised several key points regarding the treatment of SSA teachers and the broader process of school mergers. A major concern of the association is the future of teachers as the management is unwilling to transfer control to the government.
“We request that in schools where the School Management Committees are unwilling to hand over management, the SSA teachers currently appointed and serving in these schools be allowed to continue their service until their retirement. These teachers should also be entitled to remuneration equivalent to the regular scale of pay,” Rymbai said.
In addition, the MSSASA proposed an alternative for teachers in these schools: “We request that teachers in such schools be provided with Grant-in-Aid by the Government of Meghalaya, with a ‘Pay Structure’ that includes at least basic pay plus dearness allowance on a regular scale, along with an annual increase of remuneration at a rate of 3% per annum.”
Another concern raised by the association pertains to SSA schools with low student enrollment. “We propose that teachers in such schools with zero or minimal student enrollment be transferred to schools with higher enrollment, either to government schools or other SSA schools, in both the Lower Primary and Upper Primary sections,” Rymbai suggested.
The MSSASA highlighted the critical role that these private and community-managed SSA schools have played in improving education in Meghalaya over the last 23 years.
“The contribution of these schools and their teachers cannot be overstated. They have worked tirelessly to uplift the educational landscape of our state, and we believe that the state government should give special consideration to their needs during this transition period,” Rymbai concluded.