The opposition Trinamool Congress took advantage of the continual delays in SSA teachers receiving their salaries to tear into the government in the Assembly today.
Mawsynram MLA Himalaya Shangpliang criticised the government, especially the Finance Department, which is run by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.
“Teachers in the state need our attention and care and they need to be honoured and shown more respect,” Shangpliang said.
The SSA teachers took to the streets last week to protest at not being paid for five months. The Education Minister that day itself promised that they would get two months’ dues, with the rest to follow when the funds are transferred by the Centre.
Although the SSA scheme is a central government initiative, all teachers are the responsibility of the state, Shangpliang said and they should receive the same pay, allowances, medical facilities, pensions and other benefits that state school teachers get.
“SSA teachers are deprived of all these entitlements and great injustice is being done to them… The SSA teachers don’t get medical leave nor are they provided any medical assistance in times of maternity leave,” the MLA said, adding that it was the careless attitude of the Finance Department that has resulted in the teachers hitting the streets.
Shangpliang alleged that the funds may have been transferred by the Centre but that the state government is sitting on them or has diverted them elsewhere.
His party colleague Charles Pyngrope joined in, urging Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui and the Finance Department to look at how the problem can be solved. He wondered how the MLAs would react if they had not been paid for five months.
“Let’s not take it lightly and I’m sure the Education Minister will have taken a considerate view about this and I urge the Finance Department to release the five months’ salary,” he said.
In response, Rymbui tried to exonerate his department by saying that there had been no diversion of funds and the Meghalaya government has made every effort to meet the various petitions by the teachers.
According to the minister, SSA schools are primarily managed by religious institutions, NGOs, private parties, and communities. The recruitment and appointment authorities are the school managing committees (SMCs) and the state government is only the funding agency in that it passes on monies released by the Centre.
“The procedure of fund release from the Indian government down to the grassroots is a lengthy process and diligent procedures need to be complied with to avoid discrepancy,” said Rymbui.
Out of Rs 295.3532 crore received, the state government pays Rs 198.6320 crore as salaries and Rs 67.6289 crore is spent on “implementation of other activities under recurring and non-recurring components”, with Rs 29.1323 crore leftover, he said.
