Govt to examine demand for enhancing salary of SSA teachers

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaFebruary 17, 2021

Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Wednesday said the state government will study the feasibility of the demand for enhancing the salary of SSA teachers in the state.

“The demand is genuine but the thing is that whether the government has the capacity or not (to do it), that is a different issue altogether,” Rymbui told reporters.

His statement came after the Meghalaya SSA Schools Association (MSSASA) has recently served an ultimatum to the state government for implementation of the salary structure and enhancing the salary of teachers working under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan schools.

There are 12,541 teachers working in the SSA schools across the state of which 5814 are lower primary school teachers and 6727 are upper primary school teachers.

A total of Rs 310.99 crore is spent on payment of salary to SSA teachers.

Of this, Rs 132.86 crore for 5814 teachers in 2,907 LP schools, Rs 165.42 crore for 6,727 teachers in 2242 UP schools and Rs 12.70 crore for 365 teachers in 73 secondary schools.

Stating that it is a big investment for the state government, the education minister said additional Rs 200 crore would be required if at all the salary of the SSA teachers is to be enhanced.

“Therefore, we will study the feasibility of the demand,” he said while informing that the state project director, SEMAM will soon be submitting a report on this regard.

Rymbui however recalled that he had already explained clearly in the Assembly that the state government is not in a position to increase the salary of the teachers but the government will however see what is needed to be done.

When pointed out that the ultimatum given would end tomorrow, he however said there is no deadline in the working of a government.

“It is a continuous process in whatever we do, whatever we can we will do whatever we can’t, we cannot do…so deadline is for them not to the government as we are alive with the issues and grievances of the teachers’ community not only just of the SSA.

We are alive with the issue and we are trying to work out the feasibility and we are trying to work out what is the best solution in this situation,” he said.