SSA Teachers now wants scale of pays instead of fixed remuneration

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 2, 2020

Though their demand for grant of maternity leave was outrightly rejected by the Meghalaya Government on grounds that the School Managing Committees concerned are the appointing authority, the SSA teachers are now demanding for implementation of Salary Structure from the Government.

In letter to Ambrose Ch.Marak, MSC, State Project Director, State Education Mission Authority of Meghalaya (SEMAM), SSA, the Meghalaya SSA School Association President and General Secretary says that since the inception of SSA in 2001 after inclusion of Article 21-A in the Constitution of India, the post of Primary and Upper Primary teachers has been sanctioned as per Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) to States/UTs Government in various Project Approval Board meetings with conditions that these posts would be filled by States/UTs Education department with same salary and service conditions as of other regular teachers of the respective Education department of States/UTs Government.

The letter read that Association refer to Framework and Guidelines of ‘Samagra Shiksha’ an Integrated Scheme for School Education, in Para (5.8) sub-Para (5.8.1) it’s clearly mentioned the Elementary Teachers working under budget head of erstwhile National Flagship Educational Programme ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’ (SSA) currently known as ‘Samagra Shiksha’, their salary structure will be determined by the State/UT norms and there will be no separate teachers as sanctioned by the Centre. Rather, all teachers are ultimately the responsibility of the State/UT Government.

They also refer to Meghalaya Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011, in Rule (18) sub-Rule (3) it’s stated ‘the scales of pay and allowances, medical facilities, pension, gratuity, provident fund, and other prescribed benefits of teachers, including those employed for the purpose of imparting special training as specified in Section 4, shall be that of regular teachers, and at par for similar work and experience’.

The Association requested the State Government to implement ‘Salary Structure’ to SSA teachers and enhance the salary of Lower Primary and Upper Primary SSA teachers from the existing fixed remuneration at par to that of regular teachers i.e ‘basic pay plus dearness allowance’  in accordance with the Revised Pay Structure under the Meghalaya Services (Revision of Pay) Rules, 2018.

It may be mentioned here that the School Managing Committee concerned advertise for any vacant post of assistant teacher, conduct interview and appoint them. The salaries is funded by the Government under SSA schemes.