Teachers stage protest in Shillong; demand fair wages
A CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: Members of the Federation of All School Teachers of Meghalaya (FASTOM) on Wednesday launched a sit-in agitation demanding fair wages and threatening a State-wide agitation in April if their demands are not met.
Five FASTOM members on Wednesday sat outside the Meghalaya Board of School Education and said they would continue the agitation till April. FASTOM executive member Mayborn Lyngdoh said that if their demands are not met till the end of this month, they would launch protests across the State from April onwards.
The sit-in agitation was launched a day after the teachers carried out a protest march in Shillong, demanding fair wages and regularisation of jobs. Despite giving assurances to work towards upgradation of ad-hoc schools in 2019, the State Government has failed to take any concrete steps in the matter, the teachers said.
According to the teachers, the process of increase in salaries for ad-hoc school teachers has been under consideration for a long time. However, no step has been taken by the Government to improve the situation. On Tuesday, protesters said that the State Government failed to ensure the upgradation of all ad-hoc schools due to financial deficits.
All India Trinamool Congress leaders have also condemned the State Government for its apathy towards the teachers. AITC Meghalaya president Charles Pyngrope reportedly said that the Government should focus on paying the teachers, instead of paying the legislators.
Pyngrope also told reporters that the State should have a "good fiscal management team to advise the Government on how to increase revenue without having to resort to means that may be dangerous to public life or the environment."
However, the State Government seems to be in no mood to address grievances of the teachers. In 2021, Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui told reporters that upgrading the salaries of ad-hoc teachers equivalent to that of Government school teachers will not be possible since it would lead to an additional expenditure of Rs 251 crore.
FASTOM executive member Lyngdoh reportedly said that despite assurances, the last upgradation took place in 2016 under the leadership of Mukul Sangma.
The teachers' association explained how currently, an ad-hoc teacher earns Rs 12,000 while the upper primary, a secondary, and a higher secondary school teacher earns Rs 16,000, Rs 20,000, and Rs 24,000 respectively. Ad-hoc teachers receive no additional allowances or benefits.
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