Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Teachers in Meghalaya Threatens to Hold Hunger Strike on Non-payment of Salary

Guwahati: When despite several pleas and requests the school teachers under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) are unable to receive their due pays, they are now bound to threat the government by taking the ultimate step of taking mass casual leaves from their duties and hold a hunger strike. Notably, the school teachers under the SSA were previously being assured by the Meghalaya CM Konrad Sangma that all their dues will be paid very soon but no such sign of the fulfilment of promise could be seen by the teachers.

As per a report, there are 12,541 trained and untrained teachers under the SSA in over 5,000 schools all throughout the state. It was before this as well that the teachers association had served a “demand notice” for the release of their five months’ salary from April to August 2018 and eight months’ arrears salary of the 2016-17 financial years.

The General Secretary of the association, HM Marbaniang said, “If the Government cannot fulfil the demands, the teachers will go on a mass casual leave on September 24 and 25 next, which will be followed by a two-day hunger strike on October 11 and 12.”

Although the association had a meeting with the Meghalaya Chief Minister before regarding this issue and the CM had promised them of paying the salaries within three to four weeks, but they did not receive any payment. As it has been difficult for them to survive and to afford the livelihood means for their family with five months’ salaries being due, the teachers now seek Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in this issue. They think that it is only with the help of the PM that their problems will be sorted out.

Considering this, the association has also written a letter to the Prime Minister mentioning how the State Government had given assurances that it would take up the matter of pending payment of salaries with the Centre.