Shillong, March 15: In a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong and Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma, the Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Schools Association (MSSASA) delegation raised concerns regarding the regular release of their salary and pending arrears. The state government assured them of their commitment to address these issues.

Sangma informed reporters that the pending salary was only for two months, as the government had already cleared the same up to the month of December last year. He also stated that the ministry concerned would release the second installment within the next 15 days.

MSSASA President Aristotle C Rymbai requested the state government to increase the budget provision in the state budget for the SSA during the current financial year 2023-24 to address the issue of irregular payment of salary to teachers. Rymbai cited incidents from the previous year where teachers were compelled to sleep on the streets due to delayed salary payments.

The state government assured the delegation that they would put more budget provision in the state budget, so that if the fund comes late from the central government, the state government will be in a position to pay the salary of SSA teachers for at least three months from the state budget.

The MSSASA also raised concerns regarding the filling up of vacant teacher posts in the SSA lower and upper primary schools in the state. Rymbai informed that the deputy CM and education minister had informed the association that they were rationalizing the teachers and were trying to solve the problem of some school managing committees (SMCs) not willing to accept teachers or take them from schools to appoint them to other schools where there is more student enrollment.

The MSSASA also urged the state government to speed up the appointment of the chairman and members of the Meghalaya State Education Commission. The state government had appointed a search committee headed by the chief secretary. Rymbai informed that the search committee had already sat once and would sit for a second meeting to decide the chairman and members of the education commission.