Shillong, June 30: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Thursday urged the adhoc school teachers to call off protest since the state government is committed to enhance the grant-in-aid.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, who is camping in Tura, met the agitating teachers at night and assured to support them besides asking them to call off the strike.
Tynsong told reporters that the managing committees of the ad hoc schools should also contribute to the lump sum grant being extended by the state government for the welfare of the teachers appointed by them.
The adhoc teachers under the banner Federation of School Teachers of Meghalaya (FASTOM) decided to intensify the agitation against the government’s delay to enhance their salary by Rs 18,000 and 5% yearly increment.
According to Tynsong adhoc teachers are appointed by the school managing committees (SMCs) and therefore the SMCs should step in and take care of the grievances of the school teachers.
Hawkers concerned
The Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association and the North East Regional Domestic Workers Movement Meghlaya chapter visited the striking teachers to extend solidarity to them on their demands. The associations emphasised the need for the working classes to unite and secure their rights.
VPP anguished
The Voice of the People Party (VPP) has expressed anguish that the teachers of adhoc schools have to take the extreme steps to spend the night on the road to receive what they have been promised.
“It is a serious matter that the MDA government failed to keep its promise to the teaching community to get their salary enhanced. This exposes the failure of the Conrad Sangma administration whose party had already promised to improve education in the state during the last election”, the VPP said.
The VPP wanted the government to come up with a whitepaper on how it plans to solve the problems faced by teaching community in the state once and for all.
