SHILLONG, OCT 8: The Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Schools’ Association (MSSASA) on Tuesday sought the full support of cabinet ministers to pressurize the state government to come up with a policy to secure the services of SSA teachers.
Speaking to reporters, MSSASA president Aristotle C Rymbai said they submitted memorandums on the matter to two cabinet ministers, Comingone Ymbon and Shakliar Warjri, in the secretariat and adviser to the education department HM Shangpliang.
“Today, we have come and requested them (cabinet ministers) to support the movement of the SSA teachers pertaining to the long pending demand for the government to come up with a policy to secure the services of the SSA teachers. Both the ministers have assured us that they would discuss the matter with the chief minister,” he said.
Asked, the MSSASA president said he has nothing to comment on the ongoing indefinite sit-in-demonstration staged by the All Meghalaya SSA School Teachers Association (AMSSASTA) for demanding 100 percent salary enhancement. He said,”As far as the SSA teachers issue is concerned, if you remember in July 2022, we have come out in the streets to protest against the government’s failure to fulfil our demands. That time the government had invited us for talks and we met with officials of the education department, deputy chief minister, education minister and a series of meetings took place.”
“On September 19, we had a meeting with the commissioner & secretary incharge education. He informed that from our two demands – enhancement of salary and to merge SSA teachers from SEMAM to the education department – the government will come up with a cabinet memorandum with regards to job security of the SSA teachers. Meaning at present, the government is working to come up with a policy on how to absorb the SSA teachers,” he said.
Rymbai informed that the ministry of education on August 6, 2021, had sent a letter to all state governments and UTs informing that the cabinet committee on economic affairs under chairmanship of prime minister had given approval to extend the scheme Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan for the next five years meaning till 2026.
“Based on this letter, mostly all states in NE region had taken a policy decision on how to absorb the services of SSA teachers. Same here in Meghalaya, MSSASA is demanding that the government should come up with a policy to absorb the SSA teachers to the education department on a regular basis at the earliest possible,” he stated.
“Moreover, MSSASA in the previous years had also sent letters to Prime Minister (on the matter). The reply received from the central government is that the salary, security and appointment – all these falls under the domain of the state government as the central government is only providing financial support as far as Samagra Shiksha scheme is concerned,” Rymbai said.
Denying that the SSA teachers are divided in Meghalaya, the MSSASA president said, “We were together but later on they split and formed another association (AMSSASTA). However, I don’t think that SSA teachers are divided. Why because you have seen we have organized a general meeting in Shillong and thousands of SSA teachers have attended and have unanimously decided that out of the two demands – salary enhancement and regularisation of services – we have opted to put pressure that the government should come up with a policy to absorb the SSA teachers to the education department.”
“With that, now we are approaching the government, especially the cabinet ministers seeking their support regarding this issue,” he added.