The All Garo Hills SSA School Teachers’ Association (AGHSSASTA) has refused to accept their salaries in parts demanding that the entire due of five months be paid to them from the state.
The AGHSSASTA, through a press release today stressed on the fact that it had become routine for the State government to make part payments and then forget about clearing their dues until they began once again to protest for their dues. They lamented that the situation had become a cycle.
Education minister, Lakhmen Rymbui, had earlier stated that the teacher’s dues of two to three months would be cleared, something that the teachers said was not good enough.
“We cannot accept and strongly oppose releasing of our one, two or three months salary in 5-6 months. We demand that the state government clear all the five months salaries. We cannot accept and strongly oppose such style of practices every now or then,” said publicity secretary, Bunbunbirth Marak.
Marak said that all other government employees were being paid and were working on full stomachs. This included the SPD (SEMAM), joint District Mission Co-coordinators (DMC), Sub-Division School Education Officials (SDSEOs) to Block Mission Coordinator (BMCs), state teachers and ministers.
“We are from the same state and from the same department but doing our duties without food and salary for over five to six months in every academic year. Moreover SSA Teachers are compelled to do election duties, booth level official duties, medical duties, etc with a very little amount or irregular payments of monthly salaries,” he added.
He said the SSA teachers were on the verge of dying but not from the pandemic but from the lack of money for food under the present MDA government.
“Our children have been served notices for failure to pay fees and they have been threatened that will not be able to write their exams. Our situation has gone from bad to worse due to the lack of interest of salary payment,” he asserted.
He further alleged that the practice of keeping their salaries in the state civil account has made matters worse as these are not released to them immediately after it is received, only because interest could be generated within the account.
“If the salaries are directly credited from union government to the state education account we may not be suffered a lot,” he felt.
The AGHSSASTA has once again urged the government to release their entire pending salaries before November 30 or they would take out a protest in the first week of Dec at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.
