MSSASA threatens to move court against Govt’s failure to regularize SSA teachers

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 23, 2021

The Meghalaya SSA Schools Association (MSSASA) on Tuesday threatened to knock on the court’s door if the state government fails to comply with its demands which include regularizing the services of over 12,547 SSA teachers, within November 30.

Addressing media persons, president of the association Aristotle C Rymbai said, “We urge the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to go through our demands submitted on November 10 and respond accordingly by November 30, failing which the teachers will be compelled to approach the Meghalaya High Court.”

On the demand to regularize the services of the teachers working in the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) schools across the state, Rymbai said the association also rejected the chief minister’s statement that the state government cannot give any commitment in this regard.

“From the state government side it will not be possible to give any kind of commitment right now for any kind of regularization for the SSA school teachers,” Sangma had said while reacting to a query if the government would examine the demand.

Rymbai however said that the SSA norms had clearly stated that recruitment and other service matters of the SSA teachers are under the purview of the state governments and the duty of the central government is only to provide financial support.

“Therefore, the statement of the chief minister is baseless and is not based on facts, hence we cannot accept it,” he added.

Rymbai further stated that the chief minister has failed to do his home work since as per the SSA guidelines, teachers will be recruited as per terms and conditions laid down by the government of their respective states.

According to him, even the salary structure has to be determined by the state norms.

Stating that regularization is a completely different aspect, the chief minister had said the SSA program was a program started by the Government of India on areas where different schools were not present.

“Therefore, it was a program completely financed 90% by the Government of India so it cannot be linked to regularization by the state government,” he had maintained.

Apart from protesting against delay in releasing of the salary, the Meghalaya SSA Schools Association (MSSASA) has been demanding for regularization of all SSA teachers and to implement the pay scales according to the prescribed norms of the Right to Education (RTE).

When asked, the chief minister however had said the state government can only move forward on the matter if the central government says that the funding will continue and that there will be regularization from the Government of India side on this entire SSA programme.

“So if the central government goes for a proposal and moves to regularize them at the national level then definitely it will be a positive move,” Sangma had asserted.