Teaching on empty stomachs!

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, June 5: The fate of nearly 70,000 TET teachers, working in government schools across the State, hangs in balance with the Centre reportedly curtailing funds under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the Assam government uble to meet the fund requirement for their salaries.

As Dispur groaned over fund squeeze by the Centre, the contractual TET teachers, sandwiched in the tussle, are yet to receive their salaries this fincial year.

The salaries of the TET teachers, appointed under the SSA primarily to implement the Right To Education (RTE) Act, were so far borne by the Centre and State on 90:10 basis.

Every month, an amount of Rs 60 crore is required to meet the salaries of the TET teachers.

Official sources said that the Centre had in May 26 sanctioned Rs 291 crore under the SSA for the State. Of this, an amount of Rs 29.98 crore has been released under the salary head. The amount is not sufficient to meet even a month’s salary of the teachers.

Officials in the State government are further worried that the Centre might change the funding pattern, putting more burden on the State. “There has been no communication from the Centre so far as to whether the 90:10 funding pattern will continue for the SSA. If it is made 50:50, the State government will be in a soup, so will be the fate of the teachers,” they said.

The first batch of TET teachers were appointed three years back. At the entry level, the teachers are entitled to a salary of around Rs 15,000.