Shillong, Oct 8: The state government is yet to invite the All Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan School Teachers’ Association (AMSSASTA) for discussion despite staging an indefinite sit-in-demonstration for the past eight days.
Indefinite sit-in-demonstration is to mount pressure for implementation of 100 percent enhancement of salary to 13000 SSA teachers in the state.
Expressing concern over the alleged indifferent attitude of the state government, general secretary of the association Wanpyndaphi Lapang said, “There has been no invitation for talks to discuss on our demand despite the fact that on Friday last week, the adviser to the education department HM Shangpliang had visited the protest venue. There has been no official communication but we are still waiting.”
Lapang said that the association would soon decide on its future course of action on the matter.
“We will be sitting in the coming days to decide on our future course of action to pressurize the state government.”
The state government would require spending an additional of over Rs 300 crore for enhancing the salary of the SSA teachers, according to an official source in the government.
When asked, Lapang however said, “This is a long pending demand since 2019. Other governments have considered enhancing our salary by 100%. But this government, even after 8 years, has not done anything in this regard. Not a single enhancement was considered since it took over in 2018.”
“LP school teachers are getting only meagre of Rs 19,000 and UP teachers at Rs 20,000. We find it very difficult to make ends meet. It has affected us mentally and also affected our families. Therefore, I have nothing to say about the government’s budget. We would totally leave it to the wisdom of the government,” he added.
On MSSASA’s decision to demand for regularization of services of SSA teachers, the general secretary of the AMSSASTA however said, “We urge them to join hands with us. Regularisation will cost so much. That’s why we demand enhancement of salary. We know it will take time for the government to regularise the services of the teachers. With the present salary, it is difficult for SSA teachers to survive.”
Read:Â 1,354 duplicate and 23,161 expired voters found in Meghalaya
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