Shillong: The Meghalaya government on Wednesday announced to partially release the pending salary of Sarva Shiksha Abhigyan (SSA) teachers after the teachers took to the streets.
Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui made this announcement after holding talks with the agitating SSA teachers who are yet to get their salaries from October last year.
“I have assured the SSA teachers that the state government will release two months’ salary at the earliest, which is from the state government,” Rymbui said.
The State government said that non-release of salary teachers was mainly because of non release of central share by the central government for the SSA teachers. The SSA in the state runs under a 90: 10 funding. The centre funds 90 percent of the fund.
“I am hopeful in the coming days and weeks the central government of India will release the second installment. As soon as the government released we will surely release the salary to the teachers. The average fund required per month is 29 crore so five months is amounting to Rs 145 crore,” he said.
Emerging out after the meeting with Education Minister, Meghalaya SSA School Teachers President, Aristotle Rymbai said that salaries for the month of October and November would be released immediately.
“The Minister also assured that the remaining pending salaries of the teachers would be released once the centre releases its share of the fund for the SSA,” he said. In Meghalaya there are 12541 SSA teachers. These teachers have been receiving their salaries intermittently.
These teachers have held numerous rallies in the past, primarily demanding that the release of their salaries is streamlined. The teachers have also been demanding that they be brought under the education department of the state so that they do not face the problem of getting their salaries irregularly.
