TURA: SSA school teachers in Garo Hills have sought exemption from election duty next month on account of the D.El.Ed examinations coinciding with the polls on February 27.
Tronament D Sangma, publicity secretary of the All Garo Hills SSA School Teachers’ Association, requested that teachers be exempted from poll duty as the D.El.Ed exams are from February 26 to 28.
“The examination is crucial for all untrained teachers as we will lose our jobs if we do not clear the same by March 2019,” Sangma said. Raising the issue of SSA teachers’ long-pending salary, including arrears, Sangma sought its release before the election.
“Almost all SSA teachers have been assigned poll duties. We know that it is mandatory for selected teachers to perform their respective duties during election but is it also not mandatory for the government to release our pending arrears and salaries? How can we go for election duty without money,” Sangma said.
Talking about the plight of the teachers who are going without salary for a long time now, he said either the government clear the dues before the election or exempt them from election duties.
The association has also written to the deputy commissioner cum chairman of the SSA in East Garo Hills where they informed that their salaries have been pending since last September.
