Meghalaya: FASTOM demand salary hike, annual increment

Shillong: The Federation of All School Teachers of Meghalaya (FASTOM) has decided to scale down their demand to upgrade all ad hoc school teachers to deficit category, and instead, it would now only demand to enhance teachers’ salary by Rs 18,000, besides an increment of salary by 5 per cent every year.

On Friday, FASTOM once again carried out a protest demanding for upgradation of the teachers from ad hoc before its meeting with education department officials.

The magistrates were in a tight spot having to deal with the teachers who had assembled in front of Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBoSE) office in Shillong.

What caught the district administration on the wrong foot was when the teachers decided to split into two groups – one protesting at MBoSE while another group in front of the Secretariat.

The administration urged the teachers to gather at Malki ground to protest but failed.

Eventually, the officials from the education department, Ambrose Marak and commissioner secretary, IAS BDR Tiwari met with six representatives of FASTOM. 
Executive member Mayborn Lyngdoh said they did not get any assurance from the government and that it was a “hollow meeting” since nothing fruitful happened. 

Lyngdoh said they have scaled down their demands. Now the teachers want a salary increment Rs 18,000 with an annual increment of 5%.

“The reason why we came to that amount is because the salaries of LP and UP teachers is too low. The LP teachers are getting Rs 12,000 and UP teachers get Rs 16,000. The secondary level, they’re getting Rs 20,000 and the higher secondary are getting Rs 24,000,” said Lyngdoh.

Lyngdoh also stated that nothing productive came out of this meeting and they only got a half-hearted assurance that the file has been moved from the directorate to this office and then will be moved to the Planning and Finance department.

FASTOM has also decided to continue with the agitation. “We are going to continue with the non cooperation movement and in this non cooperation movement we are not going to take part in any of the activities that are related to the government and to education

Meanwhile, commissioner secretary, IAS BDR Tiwari informed that the government is examining and are hopeful something fruitful will come out. 

Varying from the claim of the teachers, Tiwari said it was a fruitful meeting. “I can’t say about salary increment or upgrading the ad-hoc teachers, but we will expedite the matter,” he said.  

Secretary of Education department Ambrose Marak said that as far as the demands of the ad hoc teachers is concerned, the education department has been following up on this continuously.

He said the proposed amount has been already prepared including with financial implications, and they have submitted the same to the department. “It is under consideration which will soon be submitted to planning and finance, and we are committed to expedite this proposal,” Marak said.

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