Shillong, May 17: The Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Schools Association (MSSASA) held a meeting with Education Minister Rakkam Sangma on Wednesday to discuss various issues concerning the well-being of SSA teachers in Meghalaya.

During the meeting, MSSASA President Aristotle Rymbai expressed gratitude to the government for taking the initiative to implement direct payment of salaries to the bank accounts of SSA teachers. He acknowledged the efforts of the education minister, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, and the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) for fulfilling the long-standing demand of SSA teachers regarding direct salary payments.

Effective last month, the state government began transferring salaries (from January 2023) directly to the bank accounts of SSA teachers. This move was welcomed by the association as a significant step towards streamlining the payment process.

Another major concern addressed during the meeting was the need for increased project provisions in the state budget for the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.

The education minister assured the association that steps have been taken to address this demand. He informed them that the government had made decisions to ensure that teacher salaries are not affected. Additionally, he mentioned that the first instalment for the financial year 2022-23, provided by the Government of India, is expected to be disbursed by the end of June or the first week of July.

Rymbai further stated that the state government has allocated funds from the corpus fund to cover the salaries of SSA teachers. He announced that salaries for the month of March, amounting to approximately Rs 26-27 crores, will be released to all teachers by next week.

The MSSASA also raised concerns about the appointment of a chairman and member to the Meghalaya State Education Commission, as well as the recruitment of teachers for vacant SSA schools. In response, the education minister explained that the government would make decisions regarding these matters after assessing school enrollments. He hinted at the possibility of granting permission to schools with higher student enrollment.