Tura(Meghalaya), Aug 11: The All Garo Hills SSA School Teachers’ Association (AGHSSASTA) has written to the education minister for the state of Meghalaya seeking regularization of their services.
In a memo sent today, AGHSSASTA said that 12541 teachers working under SSA were separated from the teachers of the state despite their work and qualifications being the same. However it was their lot (SSA teachers) that suffered due to irregular pay and disparity in the payment of salaries.
“We have suffered a lot due to non regularization of ours services. Despite serving for many years we are yet to be moved from the state’s education society to the education department. Besides, we have also become overage and have no other alternative for other services,” said the teachers through the memo sent today, Aug 11.
Currently SSA teachers work under State Education Mission Authority of Meghalaya (SEMAM) under Meghalaya Societies Registration Act XII, 1983. SEMAM was registered on Mar 15, 2002 for supervising the SSA mission within the state. All teachers are appointed on a contractual basis by the School Managing Committees.
“We are holding the same position and suffering the same status. However as per the guidelines of RTE, 2009, the teachers recruited and appointed for the implementation of RTE Act, will have to be paid salaries and other allowances on a regular basis along with regular teachers,” they stated.
The teachers lamented that despite reminders and memorandums to authorities on the same issue have led to no change.
“Teachers working under Assam SSA are getting regular salaries and benefits as regular teachers since 2020 but the situation for us has not changed. Even the Manipur government has regularized services of SSA teachers,” they said.
The teachers, through the memo, have sought the intervention of the education minister on the matter so that all existing SSA teachers are regularized and shifted to the education department instead of the society it is currently under.