Protesting teachers to intensify stir if Govt fails to enhance salary within 1 week

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 29, 2022

The Federation of All Schools of Meghalaya (FASTOM) on Friday threatened to intensify their agitations if the state government fails to heed its demand for enhancing the salary of the adhoc teachers within one week’s time.

Addressing a news conference, FASTOM general secretary Andrew Lyngkhoi said, “We will be compelled to intensify our agitations if the state government cannot fulfill our demand within one week.”

He however informed that the teachers have decided to suspend the ongoing non-cooperation movement from May 2 to May 8, after getting a positive response from the education department.

The Additional Chief Secretary in-charge Education DP Wahlang and other officials of the education department during a meeting held on April 28 had informed the delegation of the FASTOM that the file relating to the matter has been forwarded to the planning department for necessary action, Lyngkhoi said.

“Since the response from them was positive, we decided to temporarily suspend our agitations starting from May 2 to 8,” he said.

When asked, the general secretary said all adhoc teachers will resume duties be it teaching or evaluating papers during this period.

The FASTOM had scaled down its demand from upgrading all adhoc teachers to the deficit system by asking the state government to consider Rs 18,000 salary enhancement to all categories of adhoc teachers’ rights from lower primary to higher secondary schools.   

“This was because the state government had expressed its inability to upgrade all the adhoc teachers to a deficit pattern due to financial constraints but it had categorically assured to consider the demand for enhancing our salary,” Lyngkhoi said.

The general secretary further maintained that the adhoc teachers are not against the state government but all they want is for the government to fulfill their demands so that they can live life with dignity.