By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 4: Accusing the state government of a ‘pension betrayal,’ thousands of deficit school and college employees across Meghalaya launched a statewide agitation on Monday, rejecting a new 2026 centralised fund scheme they claim scraps a previously agreed-upon retirement roadmap to seize control of their life savings.
The protest, which spanned every district from the South Garo Hills to East Jaintia Hills, saw teaching and non-teaching staff—both serving and retired—mount a massive poster campaign. Placards displayed at educational institutions and public squares urged the government to honour existing legal provisions and safeguard the financial future of those who have spent decades shaping the state’s youth.
The core of the dispute lies in the government’s attempt to replace a mutually accepted 2023 draft pension framework with the “Meghalaya Non-Government Schools and Colleges Employees Centralised Fund Scheme, 2026.” Protesters are demanding a two-tier system: the National Pension System (NPS) for those who joined after 2010, and a pension scheme based on the 2023 draft—linked to the Contributory Provident Fund (CPF)—for those who joined before 2010.
“Our demand is simple: withdraw the 2026 scheme,” the agitating staff stated.
“We request the government to abide by court orders. While the matter remains sub-judice, we believe the judiciary will protect our rights.”
The 2026 scheme has sparked alarm because it attempts to merge pre-2010 CPF employees and post-2010 NPS employees into a single, centralised framework.
Employees argue this merger creates financial inconsistency and uncertainty.
Furthermore, the government’s proposed “annuity-based model” has been rejected by unions, who fear it will result in lower, unstable monthly payouts compared to traditional pension models.
Prof P Syiemlieh, president of the Meghalaya College Teachers’ Association (MCTA) Sankardev College unit, noted that the 2023 draft had been prepared by the government itself and agreed upon by all stakeholders.
“The 2026 scheme lacks the clarity of the 2023 draft,” Syiemlieh said. “Teachers devote their lives to the state, yet our salaries stop the moment we retire. We are being denied the retirement benefits we rightfully deserve.”
Ibapynsuk Thabah, General Secretary of the Meghalaya College Non-Teaching Employees Association (MCNTEA), alleged the government is attempting to force employees into the new system by mandating the opening of Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN) accounts, effectively bypassing previous agreements.
“The government has clubbed two distinct categories under a framework we have already rejected,” Thabah said. “This scheme takes away benefits that employees had already been promised.”
As the poster campaign intensifies, the Conrad Sangma-led government faces mounting pressure to address the “deficit system” crisis and explain why it abandoned the 2023 roadmap in favor of a centralised fund that employees claim jeopardises their lifetime savings.
