Meghalaya: CM Conrad urges teachers not to join any agitation; assures revised pay

SHILLONG, June 2, 2018: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday appealed to the deficit school teachers in the state not to take up any agitation and assured them that the government would soon implement new revised pay for teachers.

He said the state government is waiting for the Education department to submit a report on the financial implication for extending the new revised pay to nearly 7,000 deficit school teachers in the state.

"I want to assure them (teachers) that we are serious about this and we are going to take this up and they should continue with their work."

Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of a function held in the city here, the chief minister said that may be it is his "fault" that he had assured them (deficit teachers) earlier that the government would be able to do it (new revised pay) within 10 days.

It is just a technical delay in term of the Education department making sure that the calculations are in place.

"Now, the Cabinet is waiting for a report from the department to come in and as soon as the report comes in will take the decision," he assured.

The chief minister informed that last time, the department could not submit the report because it is "over burdened" with various issues.

"I think there is a misunderstanding they feel may be we are sitting on it but I would like to inform that we are not, there is procedural delay simply because the exercise is so massive and department is really over burden," he said.

Earlier in the day, deficit school teachers in the state announced their first phase of agitation against the delay in implementing the new pay revision as per the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission.

The decision for agitation was taken at a meeting of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Khasi Jaintia Deficit School Teachers Association (KJDSTA) and Garo Hills Deficit School Teachers and Employees Association (GHDSTEA) held yesterday.

Speaking to reporters here, KJDSTA president ED Nongsiang said, "We have decided to go for agitational programme from Monday next since the ultimatum given to the government will end on June 3."

"We hope that the state government takes necessary measures before the start of our agitation," Nongsiang said.

(PTI)