CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Upper Primary School Teachers Association (MUPSTA) has threatened to launch an indefinite agitation after Durga Puja to protest salary disparities between Ad-hoc and Deficit teachers. The decision was taken after a meeting where the association also agreed to initially support the agitation called by the Federation of All School Teachers of Meghalaya (FASTOM). The agitation will be launched if their demands are not met.
MUPSTA General Secretary S.O. Lamare asserted, “This is our long demand and moreover I would like to add in this. Like you see this government presently call the adhoc teachers as purely private teachers or private schools. We want to know, basic clarification from the government regarding this statement. And moreover, if we adhoc are the purely private school, and the even deficit also. So why it is much disparity of salaries among the deficit and Adhoc schools. This issue is in make the teachers we want to make an agitation to let the government respond on this issue. If the adhoc categories were the private, so also the deficits so why there is disparities of salaries is there. We will take part in this agitation along with this Adhoc categories of teachers in the state but sooner or later we will have our own agitation if this agitation don’t come along to fulfill our demands.”
On the timeline of the agitation, Lamare said, “MUPSTA has decided today that we will send our delegation border this time, if it wouldn’t come to a solution, where all the adhoc teachers specially the upper primary section won’t be fulfilled we will stop the agitation. We will take part in the agitation for two days. This time we have to respect our Hindu friends due to Durga Puja, after conclusion of the Durga Puja we will start with the indefinite strike, whatever agitation we do, until and unless our demand is fulfilled.”
Echoing the association’s discontent, MUPSTA spokesperson Ganesh Baruah stated, “So we have today, this meeting has been called to decide whether to go forward with the agitation and plus as the Federation of All School Teachers of Meghalaya (FASTOM) has called and said they start with their agitation on Monday. So we have decided today, that we will be sending our delegation to join or support with the agitation called by the Fastom. It is a congregation or federation of all the Adhoc teachers, so we would like to be a part of them, but we would like to support them under the banner of the Meghalaya Upper Primary School Teachers Association (MUPSTA).”
He further added, “Basically, we are doing with this agitation program as the state government has failed to fulfil our demands, like in the recent final report of the education commission, where it has stated that there is nothing for the fulfillment of the adhoc teachers and plus in the recent August assembly house that has been concluded. Very recently, our honourable Chief Minister and with the Education Minister, they have stated nothing with regards to the Adhoc teachers. In the last August meeting they have stated nothing for the benefit of the teachers and plus in the last meeting with the honourable Chief Minister, he had assured us that the education commission will be coming up with some kind of benefits with regards to the adhoc teachers. But finally, when the education commission submitted its final report there was nothing in favour of the adhoc teachers. And lastly our demand will be for the deficit pattern of the teachers and if not that at least for the basic pay for the teachers.”
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