Photo Courtesy: nenews
Shillong: Classes across Meghalaya face major disruptions this week. Teachers and staff at deficit schools started a three-day mass casual leave protest on October 13. The walkout continues through October 15. The Khasi Jaintia Deficit School Teachers Association and the Garo Hills Deficit School Teachers and Employees Association organized the movement. They claim the state government ignores their primary concerns.
The trouble stems from a September 25 memorandum sent to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma. On October 8, Joint Secretary D Lyngdoh sent a formal response from the Education Department. Teachers say the letter missed the mark entirely. KJDSTA president Boswell Pala slammed the official reply. "The letter did not reply to the points of demand. There were points on which it chose to be silent completely," Pala said.
The unions have two core demands. They want the total revocation of Scheme 2026. They also want the restoration of the Board of Trustees. Instead of meeting these requests, the government urged staff to register for a Permanent Retirement Account Number to push forward with Scheme 2026. The government also suggested adding deficit teachers to a board formed on April 27, 2026. The unions flatly rejected this offer.
Teachers remain frustrated. Despite the standoff, the associations say they are still willing to talk if the government changes its tune. Pala asked parents and students to support the cause. The unions vow to keep fighting until the government addresses their list of demands.
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