The Meghalaya government partially caved in to the demands of SSA teachers for release of their pending salaries, with Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui announcing today that the state will clear two months worth of dues.
SSA teachers have not received their wages since October. Today, after their deadline of February 28 passed without a paise being released, around 500 SSA teachers carried out a rally from Polo to Malki.
The state government has religiously maintained that, as the SSA programme is of the central government, Meghalaya is not responsible for the teachers salaries and the state government only passes on the money when sent by the Centre.
However, the state appeared to soften today, with Rymbui saying that it would find a way to pay the Rs 58 two-month wage bill. He added that the SSA teachers are justified in demanding their salaries and that Meghalaya has been pushing the Centre on the issue.
“I have assured the SSA teachers that the state government will release two months' salary at the earliest,” Rymbui said, adding that the Centre is expected to send funds in the coming weeks but the state will source the Rs 58 crore from its own funds.
