Families to participate in rally if Govt fails
SHILLONG: The 4th Teachers’ Committee and the Meghalaya SSA Schools Association have given the State government time till March 31 to resolve the salary row.
The teachers’ bodies have threatened to take out a “different” rally in April if their demand to enhance the salary of 4th teachers is not fulfilled.
Speaking to reporters after the general meeting held on the premises of the Director of School Education and Literacy, chairman of the 4th Teacher Committee H.M Marbaniang said they would hold back-to-back agitations.
“In April, we will organise a different kind of rally in which all the 12,481 teachers and 1,521 4th teachers, along with their families, will participate,” he added.
Marbaniang said legislators should bring up the issue in the Assembly and if they do not do so, “our message to them will be ‘please do not come to us for 2018 to knock on our doors’.”
The 4th teachers get Rs 6,000 salary and they have been demanding a hike to put them on a par with the SSA teachers. The associations sought written assurance from the government on this. On the “different” rally, Marbaniang said teachers have to support their families and with the paltry salary, they could not meet even the basic requirements of their children.
“Families cannot survive (on Rs 6,000 salary) and the government will have to take responsibility of their children’s education,” he added.
The 4th teachers were appointed when the SSA scheme was implemented in 2005. In 2013, salary of SSA teachers was increased from Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,900 whereas the salary of the 4th teachers remained the same, said Marbaniang.
He added, “During our talks with then Education Minister R.C Laloo, he told us to wait till the financial year but nothing materialised.”
On different categories of teachers, he said, “We have sent out suggestions many times that we don’t want the government to classify teachers. As per the resolution passed in the general meeting in April 2016, we suggested that the government frame one policy for all teachers. It depends on the government to initiate.”