Meghalaya: Govt to pay 2 months’ pending salary for SSA teachers

In a major decision, the Meghalaya government announced that it would release two months’ salary for teachers working under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said on Wednesday that the government has decided to release Rs. 58 crore after lengthy discussions with a delegation of SSA teachers in Meghalaya.

About 500 SSA teachers staged a mass rally on Monday morning, demanding immediate release of their five-month salary.

“I have assured the SSA teachers that the state government will soon release two months’ salary, which is from the state government,” said Rymbui. According to the state government, they need Rs 290 million per month to pay SSA teachers in the state.

The education minister expressed concern over the plight of teachers and said the government would continue to put pressure on the central government. He added that although he had received relief, he still needed to find a permanent solution.

The education minister expressed concern over the plight of teachers and said the government would continue to put pressure on the central government. He added that although he had received relief, he still needed to find a permanent solution. “Teachers and the state government are stakeholders. We need to think together about what we can do to address these issues,” Rymbui said.

There are a total of 12,541 SSA teachers in Meghalaya. Last year, the government had set up a corpus of Rs 78 crore to help teachers. Non-payment of teachers’ salaries has been a long-standing issue and to date no permanent solution has been found.