The state cabinet today bowed to the intense pressure meted out by ad hoc teachers and agreed to enhance the grant-in-aid provided to ad hoc schools, which will end up costing the Meghalaya exchequer some Rs 100 crore extra annually.
However, one demand by the Federation of All School Teachers of Meghalaya (FASTOM), that for 5 percent increments every year, was not agreed to by the government.
For Higher Secondary, Secondary and Science teachers, the government will up the grant by Rs 9,000 per month. This will take Higher Secondary teacher pay to Rs 33,000, that of Secondary teachers to Rs 29,000 and Science teachers to Rs 31,000.
Upper Primary, Lower Primary, Hindi teachers and Fourth teachers of the SSA scheme will receive an enhancement of Rs 6,000. This will take Upper Primary teacher pay to Rs 22,000, and Rs 18,000 for the other categories. The increases will come into effect from July 1.
This difference between the enhancements for the different category of teachers is another bone of contention for FASTOM, which was pushing for a universal increase.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma informed the press following the cabinet meeting that, with the increase of Rs 100 crore, the state will be shelling out Rs 300 crore annually.
Ad hoc teachers have, for nearly a week now, been sleeping on the pavement outside the Secretariat to push for their demands. Until the filing of this report, FASTOM is yet to decide on whether to accept the deal or not.
On why the cabinet did not accept the demand for a 5 percent annual increment, the CM said that ad hoc schools are basically privately run and it would pose too great a burden on the exchequer. The enhancements announced will affect the progress of development work in the state, Sangma said, with police, education, community and rural development to be affected.
