STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Assam State Primary Teachers' Association (ASPTA) on Wednesday carried out a statewide programme to submit memorandums to the Chief Minister through district commissioners, demanding restoration of the Rs 8,700 grade pay that was withdrawn from graduate-trained primary school teachers.
Under the banner "Remember, Resolve, Restore the Withdrawn Rs 8,700 Grade Pay," the programme was organized across all districts with the participation of sub divisional and district-level office bearers of the association.
In the memorandum, ASPTA highlighted the long and significant history of graduate status among primary school teachers in Assam. The association stated that to strengthen primary education and attract highly educated youth to the teaching profession, it had earlier demanded two advance increments for graduate teachers before the Fourth and Fifth Pay Commissions. While those commissions did not accept the demand, the Sixth Pay Commission introduced a separate grade pay of Rs 2,500 for graduate primary teachers, which was later enhanced to Rs 2,700 through an anomaly committee.
Based on this, the Seventh Pay Commission recommended upgrading the Rs 2,700 grade pay to Rs 3,300, resulting in a total grade pay of Rs 8,700. This recommendation was accepted by the Assam Cabinet and approved by the Governor, and teachers received the benefit for 17 months. However, in what ASPTA termed an unprecedented move, the Rs 8,700 grade pay was later withdrawn, and through the anomaly committee, it was reduced to Rs 7,400.
ASPTA stated that the association approached the Gauhati High Court, which ruled in favour of continuing the Rs 8,700 grade pay until the anomaly committee's decision. Despite the court's order, the education department allegedly failed to implement it. The association said the withdrawal of the grade pay has caused severe mental distress among teachers and has adversely affected the academic environment.
The memorandum noted that for the past seven years, the association has repeatedly raised the issue with successive Chief Ministers, Education Ministers and Finance Ministers. It recalled that on December 30, 2019, then Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had directed the Finance and Education Departments to resolve the issue, but no concrete action followed. Similarly, assurances given by the present Education Minister on June 1, 2025, and the submission of a detailed 100-page memorandum to the Education Department on October 6, 2025, have not yielded results.
Through the current memorandum submission programme, ASPTA has sought the direct intervention of the Chief Minister to resolve the long-pending issue. The association warned that if the matter is not settled within the next one month, thousands of teachers will be compelled to launch mass protests. ASPTA president Nilakshi Gogoi and general secretary Ratul Chandra Goswami thanked all subdivisional committees for successfully organizing the statewide programme.
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