‘State raises its contribution to SSA teachers’ salary by 5% every year’
Shillong, Sept 17: SSA school teachers of Meghalaya have warned of launching an indefinite statewide protest if the state government failed to meet their demand for 100% pay hike by September 30.
The deadline was set in a letter addressed to the chief minister by members of All Meghalaya SSA School Teachers’ Association (AMSSASTA) and All Garo Hills SSA School Teachers’ Association (AGHSSASTA).
The SSA teachers justified their demand for substantial hike pointing out at the fast rising living cost and that it was eight years ago when they had the last pay hike.
Assuring the teachers of the government’s efforts to address their demand, education minister Rakkam A Sangma mentioned about the change in funding system of SSA teachers’ salary wherein there has been a gradual hike in the state share vis a vis the Central share.
“It was 90:10 before, but now it’s 70:30, and next year it will be 65:35. We are practically raising our contribution by 5% every year, but this increase is offset by the fact that the Government of India has been cutting its contribution by 5% annually,” the minister said.
He urged the teachers to be patient till the government worked out the “modalities and formulae” to address the issue.
Asked poor enrollment, perennial absence of teachers and underperformance of some schools, the minister said a committee of officers has been sent to every nook and corner of the state to assess the situation in each school.
“Many schools have zero enrollment, some teachers don’t attend, some have proxy teachers, and others have more teachers than students,” he said adding a detailed report would be prepared soon with all these facts.
He blamed the poor performance of teachers for the state recording highest dropout rate in the country and lowest Performance Grading Index (PGI) ranking.
“Our education system, especially in the lower primary section, is not up to the mark,” he admitted, urging teachers to focus on delivering quality education.
Addressing complaints that some SSA teachers were hiring others to teach in their place, Sangma said the department would take action if formal complaints were received.
He warned, “If anybody doesn’t want to come to school or isn’t interested in teaching, they should resign and pursue another profession. I was a teacher, but I was more interested in politics, so I resigned and joined politics.”
When asked if the government was hesitant to act on these issues, as they had been identified during the tenure of former education minister Lahkmen Rymbui, Sangma denied any reluctance to take action.
He pointed out that teachers in schools with zero enrollment have already been reassigned, and the process will continue. “If enrollment improves, the teacher will be sent back to their school.”
Sangma revealed that the first phase of a survey to assess school conditions had been completed and that further assessments would be carried out to get a clearer picture.
“The number of dropouts and enrollment has changed since the survey, and we will correct these figures in the days to come.”
The teachers’ associations remain firm in their demand, having pointed out that non-teaching SSA staff received salary enhancements, including a 2% seniority allowance, starting in April 2024.
However, the government has not yet committed to meeting the teachers’ request for a 100% pay raise.
