As the State celebrates its Golden Jubilee protests over unfulfilled demands were held in the city today.
Ten leaders of the Meghalaya SSA Schools Association (MSSASA) with black flags held a sit-in demonstration at Khyndailad to protest against the failure of the State government for not paying their salaries for the last three months. A candlelight vigil will was followed at the same venue in the evening.
According to the teachers, based on a right to information (RTI) request, the Centre released Rs 59.34 crore on November 9 and Rs 73.51 crore on December 22 to Meghalaya for the SSA scheme but that Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said that only Rs 52 crore had been sanctioned.
They said that the proposal sent by Meghalaya for uniform grant of Rs 600 per student was accepted but a grant of only Rs 300 was implemented.
The composite school grant Meghalaya had sent a proposal for was based on enrolment and received approval but the implementation order was for Rs 10,000 for all SSA schools in the state not as per the enrolment but as per the approval of the project approval board.
On the other hand, members of the Hynñiewtrep National Youth Movement (HNYM) marched to demand implementation of the inner line permit and the unlawful activities in the State, particularly illegal coal mining and transportation.