The Meghalaya SSA Schools Association (MSSASA), led by its president Aristotle Rymbai, held a general meeting on Monday at Students’ Field, Jaiaw, to address pressing concerns regarding the job security of SSA teachers in the state.
The association proposed the formation of an empowered committee by the state government to ensure detailed discussions and the formulation of a comprehensive policy to safeguard the teachers’ employment. “We have decided today that the state government should constitute an empowered committee for further discussion on the issue of the SSA teachers and also to come up with the policy pertaining to job security of the SSA teachers in the state of Meghalaya. The members of the empowered committee should be from the law department, personnel, finance, planning department, education department, and also members from the association,” said Rymbai.
In a unanimous decision, the association chose to withdraw its planned protest, shifting focus toward constructive engagement with the government to develop practical solutions for the challenges faced by SSA teachers.
The MSSASA also demanded an exemption from the Meghalaya Teacher Eligibility Test (MTET) for SSA teachers who were appointed on or before July 1, 2020. The association argued that the MTET requirement, which became mandatory through a government notification effective from that date, should not apply to these teachers. “Exemption from Meghalaya Teacher Eligibility Test (MTET) for all SSA teachers who were appointed on or before 1st July 2020, the date on which the government issued the notification that MTET is mandatory with effect from 1st July 2020,” He added.