By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The non-government school and college teachers associations came together under a banner to form the Joint Action Committee of All Teachers’ Association of Meghalaya (JACATAM) to pressure the Government to fulfill their pending demands.
The decision to form the JACTAM was taken during a meeting held on Saturday which was attended by members from nine associations — Meghalaya College Teachers’ Association (MCTA), All Meghalaya Primary School Teachers’ Association (AMPSTA), All Primary School Teachers’ Association (APSTA), All Meghalaya Adhoc Lower Primary School Teachers’ Association (AMALPSTA), Meghalaya Upper Primary School Teachers’ Association (MUPSTA), Federation of All Meghalaya Adhoc Secondary Teacher Association (FAMASTA), Khasi Jaintia Higher Secondary Adhoc Teacher Association (KJHSATA), Garo Hills Deficit School Teacher and
Employees
Association (GHDSTEA), Khasi Jaintia Deficit School Teacher Association (KJDSTA).
The KJDSTA president E D Nongsiang was unanimously elected as the chairman of the JAC while MUPSTA president Kenneth Shadap was named the vice chairman.
Talking to newsmen after the meeting, Nongsiang said that teachers have decided to come under one banner following the Government’s continued indifference to several pending demands of the teaching fraternity.
“All these years, the associations had been pursuing their demands separately which allowed the Government to adopt the policy of divide and rule. But now we would be united in pursuing our demands,” the newly elected JACATAM chairman said.
He said that they would also demand the Government to treat all teachers equally. “We want the Government to do away with the policy of classing the teachers into various categories,” Nongsiang said.
Besides the disbursement of salaries on time, demands like provision for health security and pension to the teachers were also among the demands of the JAC.
The other office bearers of the JAC are Batskhem Marboh (Secretary), Bina Kharumnuid and Fahen Sangma (Joint Secretary), Christabel Lyngdoh (Treasurer) and Publicity Secretary Kular Khongjirem.