Guwahati, Jan 21: In a major step towards teacher welfare and job security, Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu announced that 9,800 contractual teachers working under the state pool have been regularized.
The minister made this announcement while distributing financial grants to 11 families of deceased teachers at a function held at the Sarba Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) conference hall, Kahilipara, Guwahati on Tuesday.
Pegu stated that the Assam government has recruited over 25,000 teachers under SSA, of which 14,000 posts have been regularized. However, 1,100 teachers opted to continue as contractual employees. He emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring job security and extended benefits for SSA teachers, categorized under state pool and SSA schemes.
The minister acknowledged that over 10,000 teachers were recruited on a contractual basis in 2010. As per service terms, the government is obligated to pay ₹5 lakh as compensation to the families of teachers who pass away during service. However, this amount had remained unpaid for over 14 years. With government intervention, payments have now begun, benefiting 297 families so far.
“Today, we distributed ex-gratia to 11 families, and payments for 10 more teachers will be processed soon,” said Pegu.
The minister pointed out a disparity where primary SSA teachers were eligible for ₹5 lakh compensation, but secondary contractual teachers were excluded. Following his appeal to the Chief Minister, funds from the CM’s discretionary budget were allocated to rectify this gap, ensuring equal benefits for all contractual teachers.
Pegu reaffirmed that the regularization of jobs and financial assistance reflects the government’s dedication to improving teachers’ financial security. The event was organized by the Department of School Education and Samagra Shiksha, Assam (SSA).
The function was attended by Om Prakash, Mission Director, SSA, and Sanjoy Dutta, Executive Director, SSA, among other senior officials.
