STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The All Assam Primary TET Qualified Teachers' Association on Monday submitted memorandums to 15 MLAs on the first day of its week-long programme to submit memorandums to all 126 MLAs of the State to highlight their charter of demands.
Talking to The Sentinel, the association president Trailokya Deka reiterated that teachers and non-teaching staff under the Sarba Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), Assam have not received Dearness Allowance (DA) and other benefits on time because the Finance Department has not released funds allocated in the State Budget. The SSA, Assam has even failed to provide regular salaries to the teachers and other employees.
He said that this delay flies in the face of the assurance given by Education Minister Ranoj Pegu in August last year, that teachers under the SSA would receive their salaries "regularly and on time."
Even the Mission Director of SSA had assured them in September last year that they would receive their salaries within the first week of each month. Neither the Minister's assurance nor the Director's assurance has been fulfilled even now, Deka said.
He said that this state of affairs is persisting despite there being a cabinet decision and a Gazette Notification to provide pay and benefits to SSA teachers which would be almost at par with regular teachers.
He said their jobs are no longer secure under the SSA and, as such, they are demanding regularization of their services under the Directorate of Primary Education as per the Right to Education Act, 2009 and directive of the Project Approval Board (PAB) of the Central Government.
Deka said that their present demands include: regularization of services; payment of arrear DA dues; grant of pay and benefits as per the Cabinet decision of July 1, 2020; grant death benefits to their next of kin; and amendment of the transfer rules to enable senior teachers to serve in their respective home districts before retirement.
Deka said that if their demands are not met, then they would boycott the next Gunotsav and not cooperate with any other Government duty.
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