Shillong, Dec 30: The Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) teachers on Thursday threatened to intensify their agitation as a mark of protest against the state government’s failure to release additional funds of Rs 104 crore for clearing their pending salaries.
Under the banner of the Meghalaya SSA Schools Association (MSSASA), they have decided to hold a black flag sit-in-demonstraton and candlelight vigil on January 21, which coincides with 50th year of Meghalaya statehood.
“(We have) unanimously decided that the non-cooperation movement against all programmes and activities of the state government and the letter campaign to the Chief Minister and the Education Minister will continue as announced earlier. This will be followed by a peaceful democratic protest (in the form of a) black flag sit-in-demonstration and candlelight vigil on January 21,” MSSASA president Aristotle C Rymbai said in a letter to Secretary in-charge Education and SEMAM-SSA state project director Ambrose Ch Marak here.
He said the state government has failed to release the additional funds amounting Rs 104 crores lying with it for the last 3 years.
The amount is meant as financial support for payment of SSA teachers salary as per capping norms of ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’ a part of 10 percent state share borne by the state government and also for non-releasing all our pending dues/salaries.
“We are writing once again to request the state government through you to release the additional funds amounting of Rs 104 crores lying with it and to clear all the pending dues/salaries of SSA teachers in the state at the earliest possible so that further agitation can be retreated,” Rymbai said.
On the recent decision of the state government to release another two month salary for August and September, the MSSASA presdent however said that the additional funds released by the Centre will be a bit of relief to SSA teachers in the state. “But this 2 months salary will not solve the SSA teachers’ problems and difficulties,” he said while reiterating the stand of SSA teachers to release all their pending dues till December, 2021.
