Shillong: Cutting across party lines, legislators in the Meghalaya Assembly on Thursday urged the government to look into the issue of the pending salaries of the SSA school teachers.
Replying to a Short Duration discussion moved by opposition Trinamool Congress legislator, Himalaya Muktan Shangpliang on the plight of the SSA teachers, Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said, the state government would soon release two months pending salaries of SSA teachers.
“The subject of SSA teachers is very complex and the problems were inherited for the past,” he informed the House. In states like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, the Education Minister said, the SSA teachers fall under the state education department.
However, in Meghalaya, the SSA teachers are appointed in various schools run by religious institutions, NGOs, private parties and community-based schools.
“The recruitment and appointment authorities are the school managing committee and the state government is the funding agency and depends on the fund released by the Government of India,” Rymbui further said, adding that the fund release from the centre is a lengthy process.
Stating that the state government never diverts the fund for the SSA teachers, Rymbui while expressing deep concern for being unable to release their pending five-month said, the state government is trying to examine the complex subject and would come up with a permanent solution soon. In all the state has 14,694 schools, out of which there are 5166 SSA schools. In these SSA schools, there are 12541 teachers with an additional 1521 fourth teachers.
Earlier, Rymbui, replying to a Zero Hour notice moved by Shanpliang to bring at par the salaries of the fourth SSA teachers with other SSA teachers, said, under the SSA there are provisions for only three teachers, but the state has the fourth teacher.
“The matter to enhance the salaries of the fourth teachers is under consideration and has not fallen on deaf ears. The total amount paid by the state government towards salaries of the fourth teachers’ amount to Rs. 21.90 crore per annum,” Rymbui said.
Stating that there are financial constraints and there are challenges however, the state government is working to enhance the salaries of not just the fourth teachers in SSA schools, but all categories of teachers in the state.
