Assam High School Teachers’ Association raises key demands before education director

A CORRESPONDENT

BISWANATH CHARIALI: A delegation of the Assam High School Teachers' Association met Mamata Hojai, Director of Secondary Education under the Department of School Education, Government of Assam, on Saturday and raised several long-pending issues concerning the teaching community across the state.

During the discussion, the association demanded the immediate completion of the recruitment process for permanent headmasters in districts where the posts remain vacant. In response, the Director assured that the government would take action shortly.

The delegation also urged the department to promote eligible teachers serving since before 2013 in schools provincialised in 2013 to Graduate Teacher (GT) and Post-Graduate Teacher (PGT) posts. The Director informed the delegation that the matter is under consideration.

A strong demand was placed for the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme under the Assam Services (Pension) Rules, 1969, for teachers and staff appointed before 2005. The association further sought the upgradation of headmaster posts to principal posts in high schools upgraded to Higher Secondary schools. The Director assured that necessary measures are being taken in this regard.

Issues relating to anomalies in school provincialisation and poor infrastructure in several schools were also discussed. According to the Director, these matters would be addressed phase-wise.

The association additionally raised concerns over technical problems in the 'Shiksha Setu' app and suggested adopting a system similar to 'Akshaya Patra' for funding mid-day meals. The Director assured that discussions would be held with Samagra Shiksha Assam and the Textbook Production Department regarding these matters.

The delegation also requested that mid-day meal funding should be based on students' physical attendance instead of relying solely on digital attendance records.

The association appealed to the Director not to cancel the registration of non-provincialised schools with poor academic results. The issue of vocational and computer teachers were also brought to her notice. Though the Director stated that the matter was beyond her jurisdiction, she reportedly offered suggestions for possible solutions.

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